Public Art
Client:  OZ Art - ARkanvas
Location: Bentonville, Northwest Arkansas
Artists: Anne Vieux

Service: Concept, Location scouting, Curation, Development and Production

New-York based contemporary artist ​Anne Vieux recently contributed a public art intervention to Downtown Bentonville’s growing portfolio of outdoor art experiences. ​ ​/meta_material i​s an immersive holographic mural installation conceived by the artist and integrated the architectural Skylight Cinema building and its ​concrete finish walls​.

When tasked with transforming the site, the artist pushed the limits of the image data to create a captivating illusion of a hyper-fluid space by applying her painting to the structure using aluminium. Crossing the boundaries between real and virtual ​/meta_material invites the viewer to immerse in its painterly effect and to question the very nature of perception itself.

The piece is part of ARkanvas, a statewide engagement curated by Justkids bringing public art by world-renowned artists to Arkansas communities. It is not the first time Justkids has worked to bring public art to Arkansas. Since 2015 we have curated and produced ​over 50 pieces in the region from sculptures to installations, performances, murals and exhibitions for institutions, cities and organizations.

In this piece, I wanted to disrupt the solid geometries of the architecture with a hyperreal fluid painting placed in the landscape. There are two color schemes presenting two very close realities; one in cool tones, scaled up, and another in earthen tones, inverted and zooming out, repeating in the columns. I reflected on these ideas in a cultural/political context, thinking that a larger takeaway of this piece is that through disrupting and dissolving boundaries we can create a fluid open space where there’s room to unite.

- Anne Vieux

Anne Vieux’s experimental outdoor piece brings a unique approach to traditional public art and murals. While inviting Bentonville’s residents and visitors to a visual escape, she is making a splash by setting a new paradigm in the field.

- Charlotte Dutoit, Justkids curator