Artist Doddz Debuts Virtual Art Space

Earlier this year, as COVID-19 health and safety restrictions took hold, UK-based artist, Doddz, found himself missing the art galleries and exhibitions he loved to visit — so he did what creators do, and built his own. But unlike the locked down galleries in his community, his gallery would be open to all, everywhere, while giving an international list of Instagram artists the opportunity to showcase their talents with the world.

Welcome to Virtual Art Space and The Gallery, an immersive AR experience, built entirely with Spark AR Studio. Using Instagram, anyone can tour the gallery, interact with the art and if they want, even make a purchase. The first art exhibit on display is a particularly meaningful one for Doddz, it’s a series of paintings depicting the struggles, emotions and intention of the Black Lives Matter protest and movement.

“The world was shook by the death of George Floyd. It only felt right that the first exhibition for the Virtual Art Space was a series of artworks about the people fighting in the Black Lives Matter movement.“
— Doddz

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The Gallery by @virtualartspace

Samples of artwork from the Virtual Art Space’s Black Lives Matter exhibition

In addition to showcasing art within The Gallery, Doddz is also using the target tracking capabilities in Spark AR Studio to create interactive experiences that add emotion and meaning to each piece through movement, sounds and words.

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Boyega and Breonna augmented artwork from @virtualartspace

The virtual art exhibition is open now and viewable through July 10, 2020, and all of the proceeds will be split between donations to Black Lives Matter and a new fund Doddz is creating to help support diversity in art.

“The sad situation is that a lot of people grow up in non-supportive environments, and they’re told they’ll never make it. I’m here to say you can achieve anything you put your mind to with courage and resilience.“
— Doddz

Doddz, which is short for “Defy the Oddz,” is continuing to explore ways he can bring his message to the world through art and augmented reality. If you’d like to learn more about Virtual Art Space, you can check out the full site. And if you’d like to learn more about Doddz and his art, you can check out his site, or try some of his other Spark AR effects and collaborations @doddz

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