LaTurbo Avedon explores decentralized identity as a core aspect of virtual being, and for their first solo exhibition New Sculpt at TRANSFER in 2013 the artist priced artwork in Bitcoin to start a conversation about value and speculation in contemporary art.

This prescient hybrid virtual/physical installation spanned the physical gallery space and the virtual world in Second Life. A critical essay from scholar Daniel Rourke was published, and Kyle Chayka wrote about it.

A decade later, TRANSFER is re-staging this exhibition in partnership with Onassis ONX Studios, and performing vital preventive conservation work in the open to demonstrate the care that is required to sustain experimental time-based media artwork. The exhibition will culminate with the first convening of FORA a consortium on decentralized media conservation.

“Since 2012, LaTurbo Avedon has emerged as a thought-leader about virtuality. Through their virtual embodiment—symbolic of a widespread cultural shift to digital representation—the artist continues to reveal new or overlooked truths about our shared online worlds,” says Wade Wallerstein, Director of TRANSFER and Associate Curator at Gray Area “With New Sculpt, Avedon brings a new sensibility about digital materials to the market for the first time, prophesying how emerging technologies would come to define social narratives around reality.”

The central work, a virtual sculpture called Rainbow Six (2013), was installed in the physical gallery space using flat projections, while in Second Life, the sculpture appeared as a shimmering weightless object. Today, the exhibition is being restored in collaboration with students and researchers from NYU Tandon School of Engineering’s Integrated Design and Media (IDM) program, using cutting edge virtual production techniques and technological advances to better align with Avedon’s artistic goals.

“TRANSFER is breaking new ground in time-based media art conservation and restoration. IDM is thrilled for our students to contribute both in the scholarship and hands-on practice with the artists and gallery in this vital and growing space. We’re excited to provide real-world applications and experiences bridging engineering and the arts,” says Scott Fitzgerald, Associate Professor and Academic Director of the Integrated Design & Media program at NYU.

The end result of this collaboration is an uncanny 3D experience powered by virtual production techniques, that brings viewers much closer to Avedon’s original vision. The restored artworks in New Sculpt will be on display at Onassis ONX Studio, a production and exhibition space founded in partnership with the Onassis Foundation and NEW INC, situated in the Onassis Gallery in Midtown Manhattan.

“ONX’s commitment to building a global community around experimentation and interdisciplinary collaboration makes the studio a perfect fit for New Sculpt and the launch of the FORA consortium,” says Jazia Hammoudi of ONX Studio.

The consortium invites artists, experts and enthusiasts alike to engage with the restoration of New Sculpt by visiting the exhibition and participating in the convening.

ABOUT THE ARTIST

LaTurbo Avedon is an avatar and artist, creating work that emphasizes the practice of non-physical identity and authorship. Avedon has spent the past decade developing a body of work that illuminates the ever-growing intensity between users and the virtual, pursuing creative environments that deepen the meaning of immaterial experiences. They curate and design Panther Modern, a file-based exhibition space founded in 2013 that encourages artists to create site-specific installations for the Internet.

LaTurbo’s process of character creation continues through gaming, performance and exhibitions. Their work has appeared internationally, including TRANSFER Gallery (New York), The Julia Stoschek Collection (Berlin), The Manchester International Festival UK, Transmediale (Berlin), Haus der elektronischen Künste (Basel), HMVK (Dortmund), Barbican Center (London), Galeries Lafayette (Paris), and The Whitney Museum (New York City).

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