Seeing the invisible

The Municipality of Athens and Outset Greece are organizing for the first time in Greece, at the National Garden, the international contemporary art exhibition "Seeing the Invisible", the most ambitious and extensive exhibition to date of contemporary artworks created with Augmented Reality technology, which will be presented from 22 October 2022 to September 2023.

The works in the exhibition can only be seen via the free “Seeing the Invisible” app for mobile and tablets. Visitors are invited, through the app, to explore the natural environment of the National Garden and locate the artworks scattered throughout the interior of the garden, with the help of the suggested route displayed on the app's map.
The exhibition for the period 2022-2023 is presented in the National Garden of Athens and at the same time in ten (10) botanical gardens around the world. Thirteen (13) Augmented Reality works by renowned international artists are hosted in the Seeing the Invisible exhibition in all gardens, but for the exhibition in Greece, a new work was commissioned to a Greek artist, making the National Garden the only participating garden to present the 14th work. This particular work is "New Life" by Lucia Alavanou.

The participating artists are: Lucia Alavanou, Refik Anadol, El Anatsui, Ori Gersht, Isaac Julien CBE RA, Mohammed Kazem, Sigalit Landau, Daito Manabe, Sarah Meyohas, Mel O'Callaghan, Pamela Rosenkranz, Timur Si-Qin, Jakob Kudsk Steensen, Ai Weiwei.

The main theme of the exhibition focuses on man's relationship with the environment, exploring the boundaries and connections between art, technology and nature. The exhibition adopts models of sustainable practices, hence placing these digital experiences within the botanical gardens, highlighting the importance of protecting the flora and fauna of the area and keeping the carbon footprint to a minimum.