Jeff Koons, Marina Abramović, Olafur Eliasson create VR works for Acute Art

The new UK startup Acute Art has commissioned Jeff Koons, Marina Abramović, and Olafur Eliasson to create original virtual reality artworks. Koons' project, titled Phryne, features a digital version of his Ballerina sculpture installed at Rockefeller Centre in New York, where the dancer moves and reflects the viewer's presence. Abramović's Rising uses an avatar of herself to address global warming, inviting viewers to empathize with those affected by the crisis. Eliasson's Rainbow requires viewers to move collaboratively to construct a rainbow experience, emphasizing the co-production of reality. The artists were supported by a technical team. This initiative follows a broader resurgence of VR in art, with earlier adopters like Jon Rafman and Rachel Rossin, and commercial experiments such as Google's Tilt Brush involving artists Robin Rhode and Su Xun at Art Basel Hong Kong.