MXD WRLD
Corona Art Gallery
2020 altered the lives of countless people across the world. The rise of unemployment and civic unrest changed the cultural landscape and brought deeply entrenched systemic issues to light. New York in particular has been devasted by COVID-19, as the community and life of the city were forced to withdraw and isolate. This new reality, while temporary, left many artists without an audience and many New Yorkers without a source of inspirational relief.
Fearful store owners started to board up all their stores, in the name of retail protection, which left some of New York's most iconic cities desolate and dreary. However, In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and the Black Lives Matter movement, artists responded by taking to the streets and creating beautiful, meaningful, and historically significant artworks on these boarded up businesses. Inspired by the artistic creativity of this moment in New York, MXD WRLD was born to illuminate the historical importance, aesthetic beauty, and cultural relevance of the public murals & artworks that were created in 2020.
MXD WRLD’s Corona Art Gallery collects these murals, which may have otherwise been destroyed, and preserves these important pieces of history by scanning the artworks into 3D assets, which will live on indefinitely. Using cutting edge 3D technology to create digital exhibits on multiple platforms, MXD WRLD is dedicated to immortalizing this pivotal, cultural moment with virtual reality exhibitions and augmented reality art-walks. These immersive experiences will allow visitors and users to experience 2020’s cultural and social revolution in New York, no matter where they might live in the world.
Through this process, MXD WRLD seeks to broaden the participating artists, their work, and messages of social justice to a worldwide audience. MXD WRLD’s aim is to create a world-class digital experience that connects individuals with the artists and artworks that drew the one silver-lining through such tumultuous year: the demand for positive change. In addition to the digital exhibits, MXD WRLD will create physical pop-ups that elongate the life cycle of these murals, support the artists who are demanding change, and bring much needed aid to the communities who were so impacted by 2020.
MXD WRLD is dedicated to digitally preserving and displaying this artist-led movement that played such an essential role in New York’s ability to respond, recover, and reimagine. In doing so, MXD WRLD’s Corona Art Gallery will also provide a forum for education on this historic moment, the issues NYC artists brought to light, and art’s fundamental role in many communities’ healing & revival. Like the Gallery itself, this educational forum will exist for generations to come, making the Gallery a crucial historical lens through which to bear witness to 2020.
The Biggest Special Thanks To:
Kurt Boone, Capture It In 3D, BVN Architecture, Mana Public Arts, Ty Buckley Photography
Curated by William Bernstein
Co-Curated by Ty Buckley
https://www.captureitin3d.com
http://www.bvn.com.au
https://manapublicarts.com
https://www.instagram.com/tmbucksley/?hl=en
