Seven Exciting Immersive Art Experiences to Sink Into In and Around Sydney

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Sydney has a plethora of galleries and art spaces, from the major institutions to brand new pop-ups. It's an ever-evolving scene with new ways to interact with artists and their work. If you look beyond the traditional formats for how art is displayed and experienced, you'll find there is a wealth of events that are looking to challenge our preconceptions of art and art spaces.

To help you hunt them down, we've teamed up with MidCity Shopping Centre to select seven immersive art experiences that are soon to hit Sydney. Get ready — this is art but not as you've known it.

AN IRL NFT IN THE CBD

NFTs (or Non-Fungible Tokens) are the hot thing right now, attracting attention and headlines from those looking to speculate and accumulate. While they're usually consigned to the digital realm, MidCity Shopping Centre – located in the heart of Pitt Street Mall – is bringing them to life in a unique exhibition where you can enjoy art while you shop.

Artist Mulga, known for his wild character-driven murals, has compiled 8,888 one-of-a-kind pieces under the MULGA KONGZ banner, and a selection of these make up an exhibition titled KONGZ ISLAND. Want to immerse yourself in the digital and real world at once? Make tracks to MidCity Shopping Centre to see Mulga's tropical gorillas like never before.

EDGE OF CHAOS AT BARANGAROO

There's arguably no better location for a provocative experience examining the state of our world than among the financial centres and consultancy firms of Barangaroo. Mixing stencil art, NFTs and guest speakers, Edge of Chaos blurs the boundaries between online and offline, between the real and the virtual.

The brainchild of award-winning artist E.L.K., Edge of Chaos is a traditional art gallery on one floor and a mind-expanding virtual reality experience on another. It dares to ask questions about politics, climate change and public disorder, before beginning a journey towards hope and freedom.

STRYBX 2032

What are you looking forward to ten years from now? NASA is planning a manned mission to Mars and the Olympic Games are heading to Brisbane. It's also a crucial decade for addressing the climate emergency. 

That's the subject of this groundbreaking exhibition from Michael Killalea and Sarah Barns, which allows you to converse with Sydneysiders from the year 2032 to discover what we did to combat the climate crisis. If future-you could speak to present-you, would you be relaying a message of hope or would it be a warning of what's to come? Find out when STRYBX 2032 kicks off at Circular Quay and The Rocks as part of VIVID Sydney.

AN IMMERSIVE GREAT GATSBY PRODUCTION

It has been exactly a century since F. Scott Fitzgerald dropped his masterpiece about class, the American dream, failure and love — all amid the backdrop of the glitzy roaring 20s. In this show at Potts Point's Wonderland Bar you get dropped into the age of Gatsby and transported back in time.

At The Great Gatsby: An Immersive Theatrical Production, whole audiences get to play the part of narrator Nick Carraway and immerse themselves in a choose-your-own-adventure production. The show features great performances and the chance to explore hidden areas of the set, too. Grab a mint julep, your dinner jacket and start rehearsing the Charleston.

FLOATING WORLD

After a chaotic couple of years, the return of Vivid Sydney is the tonic that many of us need. With each iteration, the team behind the festival continue to up the ante and for 2022 this artwork at Darling Harbour is one to put on your list.

Floating World is made of three separate sequences — 'Sub-Aqua', 'Soup' and 'Agora' — on a loop. Across a 15 minute run time, you'll see DJs, digital visual artists, musicians and videographers share their visions of an imaginary world through of an ever-changing sonic painting inspired by sound. Curious? This one has to be experienced in the flesh to be properly understood.

Brooke Zotti

BIENNALE ART AFTER DARK

The theme of the 23rd Biennale of Sydney is 'rīvus' (Latin for stream) and the three-month-long event will cover artworks, experiments and installations inspired by wetlands and ecosystems around Sydney.

Every Wednesday evening throughout its run, The Cutaway at Barangaroo will play host to Art After Dark. Local restaurants and bars will be on hand for food and refreshments as you take the opportunity to explore the exhibited art at your own pace, stopping to take in a performance or a piece of film.

Sophie-Jaye-Hayman

SUPPER SESSIONS

The Supper Sessions model is simple yet effective. On the last Sunday of every month, a renowned chef cooks and serves a three-course vegetarian meal on the rooftop terrace of creative arts precinct, 107 Projects, in Redfern. You get a quality meal and a great night out — and a portion of the cost of your ticket goes towards an independent grant for an experimental art project. 

You get to support Sydney's arts community and spend time with like-minded people while tucking in to a great feed. It's a win-win, really.

Keen to see Mulgas' NFT in real life? Head to Mid-City Shopping Centre to check it out or visit the website for more information.