“If I could just go back and make the damn thing myself, then obviously I would. To be honest this whole thing has been an absolute nightmare and I'd rather not talk about it at all.”
Xxijra Hii is pleased to present The Immersive Experience, a solo exhibition by Luca George.
We aim to tell the story without an objective storyline, immersing people in sound and visuals, giving them a deeper experience, and bringing them to a catharsis. (1)
At the end of the day, we're building an imagination box - a place of wonder, a place of excitement, where creativity is not scared to flourish. (2)
Have you ever dreamt of stepping into a Van Gogh painting? Now you can with this exhibition that has been touring since 2017 with +5,000,000 visitors! Get your tickets now! (3)
In an attempt to emulate the edifying and divine language regularly used in the promotion of Immersive experiences, Luca George leans on the allegorical journey found in Dante’s narrative poem, “The Divine Comedy”; perhaps the first attempt to depict an Immersive Experience and presents us with a literal and metaphorical ascending staircase. Based on the actual dimensions of a rear “New Routemaster London” bus staircase, the installation has been extended to the ceiling of the gallery and is off limits to visitors. You cannot actually step inside a Van Gogh painting and you cannot actually climb this staircase.
Using the exhibition to survey the artist’s miniature-scale artworks installed within the staircase (most of which were made for past performances/installations and entirely different contexts); George nods to the predicament of the contemporary artists requirement to reframe and adjust their practice in order for it to meet certain criteria for themed opportunities and open calls.
“I had a moment of clarity a couple of years ago when an open call for a dog themed group show had me barking up the wrong tree” recounts George.
To illustrate this predicament further George has written a short story to accompany the installation that details the journey of a fictitious artist who is awarded the opportunity to produce a new piece of work under the theme of Immersive Art. Within this short story the aforementioned artist is given the coveted chance of working with an art fabrication company on a new piece of work, but things spiral out of control when the overworked art fabrication company is unable to finish the work and the artist is forced to exhibit an unfinished and unsafe artwork.
A generic Spotify playlist titled “Ambient Dreamscape” provides a soundscape backdrop to the show, and invokes the dulcet tones often used to accompany “Immersive Experiences”. Spotify describes the playlist as an opportunity to “Fill your mind with music”, before imploring the listener to use the playlist ‘for imagining, thinking, dreaming and longing.’
We invite you to do just that! Enjoy the show! LASCIATE OGNE SPERANZA, VOI CH’INTRATE!
(1) George Aistov, Wisdome LA's art producer
(2) AREA15 Immersive Entertainment promotional material
(3) Van Gogh Exhibit: The Immersive Experience promotional material
(4) “Abandon all hope, ye who enter here."
