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Jeddah - Yasmine El Tohamy - JEDDAH: Argentine digital artist Andres Reisinger has made a name for himself by reimagining various locations across the globe draped with fabric in shades of pink.

Reisinger’s whimsical virtual spaces have taken over cliff edges, coastlines, and city centers. Now, his most recent physical installation lies in the heart of historic Jeddah’s Al-Balad, breaking the boundary between digital and physical art.  

The work is part of Reisinger’s viral “Take Over” series, which casts the artist’s dreamy and romantic hues over different global locations such as Venice and Miami. In an interview with Arab News, he dug deeper into conceptualizing the 17-meter-tall installation, developing his practice, and exploring new mediums of art.  

He said: “I think there’s something very interesting about Al-Balad in the contrast between what we are used to surrounding (ourselves) with … It’s not another 30-year-old building. It’s really something much more.

“It’s like taking over a monument with all the respect and constraints and formalities around it, and on the responsibility of actually adding a new layer of information into something that’s very old and has a lot of history and meaning for our civilization.”

Reisinger’s “Take Over Jeddah” was unveiled at Balad Al-Fann, a cutting-edge arts and culture initiative, as part of the “Matters through Matter” exhibition curated by Jumana Ghouth in collaboration with American philosopher Graham Haman.

The immersive installation is a tribute to “the new energy coursing through both the universe and Al-Balad.” In Jeddah’s historic district, the resilience and adaptability of cultures is platformed by weaving and formulating new narratives.

This is not the first time the Argentine creative worked to accentuate Saudi landscapes. Reisinger participated in a Saudi digital art exhibition “A Way With Light” put on by Athr Gallery in partnership with RFC Art, which showcased works of local and international artists.

But now his work comes alive on-ground in one of the Kingdom’s crown jewels. The building is positioned in a textile neighborhood, bringing a unique context to the piece as the peony pink cloth poetically flutters over the historical structure in Bedouin Market.

“I’m very drawn to the contrasts in between the hard and soft surfaces and materials that create this very antagonist narrative, where they actually tell a new story by being so different and acting together to change the space,” Reisinger said.

The digital artist staged his first physical installation in December last year when he took over a building in Miami Design District. The sleek design was a representation of the city’s vibrant and modern landscape.  

Nothing that is born from love can be transformed into something different.

Andres Reisinger, Argentine artist

Since the start of his career, Reisinger’s AI-generated art has been disputed, driving discourse over the constitutions of “real” art. By utilizing social media as real-estate for new art mediums, he hopes to overthrow the boundaries of physical and digital while creating a world where they both coexist.

“It’s really interesting for me to play with social media because it’s actually the platform where many people walk through every day, like Times Square, but it’s kind of tailored. Each one can create their own interests. I think that creates a whole virtual layer on top of the physical and geographical that I find very personal,” Reisinger said.  

Having produced his digital work remotely at first, the artist connected to individuals across the globe to help illustrate what each location and project would look like using “homemade iPhone walkthroughs.”

In Jeddah’s bustling cultural hub, people from all walks of life can now experience a romantic edge to the ancient trading port as they come across the pink drapes. The work itself does not push any specific message, but is merely an insertion of an action or expression into the context of the UNESCO World Heritage Site.

“I think positivity is my idea of the action, and I would love for people to actually be inspired and take it very positively because that’s how I made it and gave it birth. And nothing that is born from love can be transformed into something different,” he said, noting the color is a metaphor for these emotions.

As human participation is essential for the work, some may find a pleasant surprise during their walks across the neighborhood and possibly choose to look at the world with rose-colored glasses moving forward. In a new universe of possibilities by stumbling upon the unexpected, it may unlock an open mind: “that every day can change, every day can be different.”

Under the theme “Past-Forward,” Balad Al-Fann converges with various forms of contemporary and traditional art to create a temporal blend of our past heritage and its future possibilities. The hub beams with light, sound, music, theatrical performances, exhibitions, and a number of local eateries and cafes until March 9.