This week in Basel, Almine Rech presents an installation by Ryoji Ikeda, commissioned by Audemars Piguet Contemporary for Art Basel’s Unlimited platform. Titled data-verse 3, the audiovisual project is the third and final installation in what the artist regards as his most complex work to date.
“data-verse is absolutely precise,” said Ikeda. “I have created so many installations in my life, but this project is the ultimate one.”
While originally commissioned by Audemars Piguet, the hypnotic trilogy is the result of two decades of research surrounding interactions between sound and light and those observing them. Drawing from data collected by institutions like NASA and the Human Genome Project, the composer and visual artist followed his interest in audiovisual frequencies and scales to create data-verse—which takes the form of three high-definition DCI-4k video projections with accompanying soundtracks.
Ryoji Ikeda, installation view, “data-verse 3,” at Art Basel, 2021; courtesy of the artist, Audemars Piguet, and Almine Rech.
Immersing onlookers in a journey from microscopic to macroscopic, through the use of numerical systems and computer-generated imagery, the presentation of data-verse 3 at Art Basel followsthe release of data-verse 1 at La Biennale de Venezia in 2019 and an exhibition featuring the completed trilogy, “RYOJI IKEDA,” at 180 Studios in London, which closed last week.
“We embarked on a very special journey with Ryoji when we commissioned data-verse in 2015,” said Denis Pernet, Art Curator, Audemars Piguet Contemporary. “Each iteration of the work has captivated audiences globally and we are delighted that the third and final variation can be celebrated as part of such an important moment on the art world calendar—a true testament to Ryoji’s practice.”
Ryoji Ikeda, installation view, “data-verse 3,” at Art Basel, 2021; courtesy of the artist, Audemars Piguet, and Almine Rech.
Ryoji Ikeda, installation view, “data-verse 3,” at Art Basel, 2021; courtesy of the artist, Audemars Piguet, and Almine Rech.
Ryoji Ikeda, installation view, “data-verse 3,” at Art Basel, 2021; courtesy of the artist, Audemars Piguet, and Almine Rech.
