Here but not here but here

E.A. Stuart & Christian Ulloa

January 16 – 19, 2023

Opening Reception January 19, 2023

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     here but not here but here is a unique exhibition of virtual works at the Backspace Gallery at Northern Illinois University. Through the exhibition we would like to examine how we interact with artworks in art spaces and the virtual world. So often we walk into museums and galleries to see the visitors with their phones pointed up at the artworks instead of taking the time to interact with the artwork or other patrons. Have our experiences become tied and filtered to our smart devices? If we also consider the influx of virtual art over the past few years, including NFT's one has to wonder what role the physical art spaces play. One foot in the virtual and one in the physical world. 

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In this exhibition E.A. Stuart and Christian Ulloa have invited artists from different mediums, styles, backgrounds, and locations. We have asked them to submit virtual images and or videos of their artworks to be stored on a website. Vinyl QR codes were created for each of those artworks and installed in the Backspace Gallery. Visitors are invited to view this exhibition of different artists through the virtual world within a real-world setting.

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To View the Artwork:

• Open the camera app on your phone.

• Scan the QR code

• Open the website link that appears on your phone.

• Videos

  • Videos will play upon selecting the play button

  • Videos will play in a loop​

  • Many of the video files have sound

    • Earphones may be needed

    • Sound settings will be defaulted to your devices settings

    • Ensure sound it turned on before pressing play.

• Tap on the image to open the image in a new window

  • Images may be magnified in this window

  • Tap the X to Close the window ​

• Artist’s and artwork information is located on the bottom of each webpage

• Artist’s contact links are located at the bottom of each webpage

  • Click on the icon to contact the artists:​

    • Email - ​

    • Website - 

    • Instagram - 

• Repeat the process for each QR Code

• Power strips will be available to charge your devices

  • ***Charging chords WILL NOT be available.​

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Troubleshooting:

• No Sound

  • Turn on your devices' sound.​

  • Ensure device and youtube volume are turned up

  • If using earphones 

    • ensure Blue tooth is on

    • earphones are paired

• Cannot reach website​​

  • Refresh website

  • Close the app then retry​

  • Use Cellular data (turn off wi-fi)

  • Clear cookies and cache files, close app and reopen

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