WESON MUSEUM presented ARTLINK 2024 as a hybrid exhibition spanning both VRChat — through the “WESON MUSEUM ARTLINK 2024” world — and a physical gallery at ART GALLERY ii-Crossing in Iidabashi, Tokyo. The VR venue was open from November 4 to 22, 2024; the physical gallery ran from November 18 to 22.

ARTLINK 2024 brought together 14 artists, presenting both digitized oil paintings and original digital artworks. The ability to encounter the same body of work across virtual and physical spaces was one of the exhibition’s defining qualities.

A Space for Dialogue

ARTLINK is not simply about presenting art in a new format. By making the work accessible from home through VR, people who might not normally visit a gallery were able to find their way in — and from there, conversations and discoveries emerged. Over 15,000 people have now taken part in the weekly Saturday VR gallery sessions, where artists lead tours and visitors can ask questions and share reactions in real time.

Viewership Across Borders

ARTLINK has also served as a place where international connections take root. Exchanges with audiences in the Republic of Palau and at the University of Illinois have demonstrated that VR exhibitions can be a meaningful vehicle for cross-border engagement. Bringing Japanese work to international audiences — without the logistical burden of shipping and installation — is one of the distinctive possibilities of the VR format.

From Exhibition to Acquisition

ARTLINK 2024 introduced a pathway from viewing to purchasing: visitors to both the virtual and physical venues could buy work directly through an online store, including ZINEs, postcards, prints, and original pieces. Connecting the act of encountering art with the possibility of taking it home — that continuity was an important part of what this edition set out to explore.

Expanding Access to Art

A central aim of ARTLINK is to make art more accessible. By building a new point of contact between people who rarely encounter art and artists who want their work to reach a wider audience, ARTLINK 2024 showed — from both a virtual and a physical direction — what that opening can look like.

WESON MUSEUM will continue to develop ARTLINK as a space that connects works, artists, and audiences. The experience of moving between VRChat and a real gallery is the foundation we carry forward.

Exhibition details

  • VRChat venue: Monday, November 4 – Friday, November 22, 2024
  • Physical venue: Monday, November 18 – Friday, November 22, 2024 / 10:00–18:00
  • Venues: WESON MUSEUM ARTLINK 2024 (VRChat) / ART GALLERY ii-Crossing (Iidabashi, Chiyoda, Tokyo)
  • Participating artists: 14