Damjanski, Co-Founder of MoMAR Discusses How AR Is Disrupting Museums & Empowering Digital Artists

June 15, 2022

Damjanski, Co-Founder of MoMAR and an artist living in a browser, joined us on this episode of NewForum. Concerned with the themes of power, poetry, and participation, he explores the concept of apps as artworks.

MoMAR Gallery App aims at democratizing physical exhibition spaces and art institutions, curational processes within New York’s Museum of Modern Art. WIRED covered the lunch with the headline “Augmented Reality Is Transforming Museums.”

We had an enjoyable conversation with him about what it means to democratize physical exhibition space, how he is pioneering this concept through MoMAR, and his understanding of Web3 and the Creator Economy. We also discussed his views on the impact of Metaverse, and Blockchain technology on the future of society.

Who is Damjanski and what are some of his influences as an artist, and how did it all lead him to found MoMAR and Augmented Reality gallery?

“It all started on the internet, spending most of my time on chat boards and meeting people online that was probably like the get-go. There was the vibe of the late 90s internet where everything was new; things evolved, and people could publish things online, which I thought was very inspiring…” — Damjanski

According to Damjanski, his experience in the 90s led to him studying art, thinking about what medium to work with, and as he spent so much time online, it was natural to create art online. He added that it was also easier to make art and publish it online without a gallery or physical space.

Damjanski shared that this was how his journey began. He also talked about how the Net Art movement inspired him. During this movement, there were diverse groups of people doing different things and having more of a performative approach to art that lives online; this experience, he added, led him to where he is right now.

What gaps does he hope to specifically bridge, or what problems does he hope to solve through the MoMAR Gallery app?

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“It all started on the internet, spending most of my time on chat boards and meeting people online that was probably like the get-go. There was the vibe of the late 90s internet where everything was new; things evolved, and people could publish things online, which I thought was very inspiring…"