‘Who’s to say it’s not real?’ Street artist Kaws on creating Fortnite’s first exhibition

The New Yorker has made a virtual art show to take place within the smash-hit game - and a real-life one at London's Serpentine with a touch of augmented reality. Can it get young gamers into galleries?

For Brian Donnelly - known as Kaws since his graffiti beginnings in 1990s New York - art has always been a communication tool. From street art to vast public commissions, he says, it's a chance to create a dialogue". His desire to bring art to the masses is partly why his work spans collectable toys and streetwear collaborations, as well as paintings and sculptures that sell for millions. His new exhibition will allow him to connect with a large number of eyeballs in, he says, a new and massive way". The show, New Fiction, is at London's Serpentine Gallery, and simultaneously on two free online platforms: the gaming behemoth Fortnite and the augmented-reality (AR) app Acute Art.

With more than 400m player accounts, Fortnite is massive, especially when compared with the estimated footfall of an average Serpentine show (around 35,000). While the uninitiated might dismiss Fortnite as just another shooting extravaganza, players are increasingly spending time in its more peaceful zones, such as creative mode, where they can mooch about the Fortnite metaverse without fear of elimination. You can hang out with your friends and explore new features," says Fortnite's partnerships director, Kevin Durkin. This could mean honing your dance moves but also watching a film or an Ariana Grande concert (as players did in August 2021), or, as of today, visiting an art gallery.