Untitled Is Bringing the First-Ever Art Fair to Take Place in Virtual Reality to Your Screen This Summer

The timing of the Untitled art fair’s two main annual events, in
Miami Beach in December and in San Francisco in January, has meant
that, so far, it has not been as disrupted by the shutdown as its
spring and summertime counterparts.

But that hasn’t stopped founder and owner Jeff Lawson from
innovating in the virtual sphere. Untitled has teamed up with
online platform Artland to create what it claims is the first
true virtual reality art fair.

Unlike online viewing rooms, with the Untitled virtual fair
“you’ll get to walk through the space like you would a real fair,”
Lawson tells Artnet News. “That’s what makes
fairs so interesting you can always discover new things and
interact with hundreds of galleries in one session.”

The platform is built with video game software—a mix of
“architectural modeling, gaming innovations, and e-commerce,” says
Mattis Curth, co-founder and CEO of Artland. Attendees can use
their own VR goggles if they have them, or view the fair on their
personal computers or tablets.

“Our reasoning is that fairs are very important for the
industry, but there’s a lot of them and they’re expensive for
galleries,” Lawson tells Artnet News. “The intent was to create another model that looks at how we can do
this differently, and eliminate a lot of risk for the
galleries.”

Because of the current lockdown, “we’re pushing it faster to debut because the market needs it,” Lawson
says. “This is an attempt to really be
collaborative and work with everybody to help galleries
find a way to get out there and participate in the market.”

The inaugural edition of the virtual fair is scheduled for this
summer, with exact dates to be announced.

Even though the fair is virtual, Untitled is still selling booth
space by the “square foot.” Participating exhibitors can choose
between a 200-square-foot booth priced at $1,000 or a
400-square-foot booth priced at $3,000.

There will also be a sliding-scale commission structure wherein
the fair will take a cut of sales. Collectors will be able to
acquire works with a “Buy Now” button, as well as engage in live
digital chats.

For now, and pending further guidance from government officials,
the two physical fairs in Miami and San Francisco are set to go on
as planned.

The post Untitled Is Bringing the First-Ever Art Fair to
Take Place in Virtual Reality to Your Screen This Summer
appeared first on artnet News.