American artist Brian Donnely, the man behind the pseudonym KAWS, just launched his new exhibition titled “NEW FICTION”. Unlike his previous exhibitions, this time, it crosses lines between the physical world and the virtual world. 

The exhibition will be opened simultaneously offline at the Serpentine Galleries, London and online on the popular video game Fortnite. "They’re like a mirror of each other,” said KAWS. This is the first time a real-world art gallery has been created in Fortnite. The gallery will be featured on Fortnite until 25 January. 

The exhibit at the Serpentine has been recreated on a 1:1 scale on Fortnite’s creative mode which is a kind of community space outside of the game where the 400 million registered Fortnite users can get together and test out new features of the game.

Serpentine Artistic Director Hans Ulrich Obrist and CEO Bettina Korek said: "We are thrilled to work with such an incredible group of collaborators on this unique project that tests how Serpentine can enter the metaverse. This multi-dimensional project, accessible through virtual and physical portals, demonstrates the remarkable synergies between gaming, space, and sensorial experience."

The show is curated by artistic director of the augmented reality production company Acute Art Daniel Birnbaum. He said that this project  marks the beginning of a new chapter of art living in parallel worlds and reaching local and global audiences simultaneously.

Birnabaum has worked with KAWS to create several AR works which will also be featured in the Fortnite digital twin. This is not the first collaboration between KAWS and Birnabaum. Previously, they collaborated on the “The Looking Glass” exhibition in New York.

“This is an incredibly exciting project for me,” said KAWS. “I always like exploring new mediums for my art. I became interested in working with AR when I realised the quality that can be achieved now. Then came the invitation to work with Fortnite. Now all these things come together in a complex exhibition that takes place in parallel realities. I want to thank the incredible teams at Fortnite, Acute Art and Serpentine,” he explained.