The transition from the physical world to the virtual one gained momentum following the announcement by Facebook’s CEO regarding the Metaverse—a virtual reality space that increasingly merges the real with the digital—as the future of both the company and humanity.

However, even during the lockdowns of the COVID-19 pandemic, when the physical world came to a standstill, we all lived in the virtual universe, and life continued as usual. The exhibition “Metaverse – Towards Empty Worlds” explores the nascent state of this new space, as well as the ethics, aesthetics, ecology, and genetics of a future in which we lose familiar physicality and humanity in favor of the unknown. These are worlds where exploiters do not meet the gaze of their victims, the physical realm succumbs to climate change, nature empties of human presence and returns to the animals, physical labor is replaced by virtuality, and more.

The exhibition’s works are developed using software platforms and game engines, where we witness them "running" in real-time. This is a live presentation of “the theater of machines”, which, through artificial intelligence, virtual reality, and physical interfaces, immerses us in three-dimensional worlds. The headsets, screens, and smartphones—now central to our environment—will narrate our designated roles in the universal video game they have begun to orchestrate.

Alongside artists who have chosen to incorporate game engines into their creative toolbox, the exhibition will feature final projects by graduates of the “Digital Media in the Arts” program at Tel Aviv University and the “Master’s in Game Design and Development” program at Shenkar.

*auto translate