Discover VOMA: The World’s First Interactive Virtual Museum

When the pandemic forced the closure of public spaces worldwide, arts institutions rapidly adapted by launching virtual tours. However, a new museum is set to open that is entirely digital and places the virtual experience front and center.

Launching on September 4, the Virtual Online Museum of Art (VOMA) is touted as the world’s first fully interactive virtual museum. It offers visitors access to classic and contemporary artworks from around the globe, all available for free viewing. The collections, curated by museum director Lee Cavaliere, draw on works from well-established institutions such as the Hermitage Museum, the Art Institute of Chicago, and New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art. Highlights include pieces like Édouard Manet’s “Olympia,” exhibited at the Musée d’Orsay in Paris, and “The Garden of Earthly Delights” by Hieronymus Bosch from Madrid’s Museo del Prado, as well as modern works by artists like Nan Goldin and Kara Walker.

Thematic Exhibitions and Innovative Artist Collaborations

One gallery will showcase an exhibit exploring human connection, while another will present the “Degenerate Art Show,” a recreation of the 1937 Nazi exhibit that condemned the works of so-called “degenerate” artists like Max Beckmann and Henri Matisse. This exhibition is part of an ongoing effort to illustrate how art serves as a tool of oppression. Furthermore, the museum will highlight emerging talents through a commission program, with notable recognition for Kenyan-British artist Phoebe Boswell as the inaugural artist in the museum’s Artist Space.

While art is the core of VOMA, its success hinges on the technology facilitating the virtual excursion. The team behind VOMA, comprised of architects, CGI designers, gamers, and curators, ingeniously combines computer graphics with gaming interactivity. This collaborative effort aims to offer an experience as authentic as a real-life gallery stroll. Each displayed piece is featured in high resolution and accompanied by related media and reference materials, allowing visitors to explore the space freely, enjoying the sunshine or taking shelter from the rain.

Artist Stuart Semple, the visionary behind the museum, remarked, “A virtual viewing room can feel like a lonely place – quiet, empty, sometimes slightly uneasy. In building and curating VOMA, we aimed to combat that feeling, much like one would experience in a distant, silent gallery.” He added, “We want our visitors to feel this is their space, encouraging them to return frequently, whether to explore new exhibitions as they launch or simply to enjoy the environment.”

VOMA is set to open on September 4 at voma.space.