JULIE WALSH  is a Chicago based curator with an expertise in Contemporary Asian & Immersive technology art and the founder of Walsh Projects.

Julie Walsh founder of Walsh Projects

Julie Walsh is a Chicago-based curator with a focus on contemporary Asian art and immersive technologies, and digital art. Ms.Walsh has been involved in the art world for 40 years.. She is a founder of MIRAA Mixed Reality Academy for the Arts. She is a frequent lecturer and moderator of panels at both national and international venues including VREurope (Amsterdam), VRHAM! (Hamburg), Virtual Worlds (Munich), Ars Elektronika (Linz), the Cameroon National Pavilion at the Venice biennale, Recto VRso (Laval), SxSw (Austin), NYU (New York), AAMC (Art Association of Museum Curators in NYC, SAIC (Chicago), Luxembourg Art Fair (Luxembourg), Miami Basel (Miami), Paris+ (Paris).

In 2021 Ms. Walsh curated the grand opening exhibition for MEET Digital Culture Center (Milan) first virtual exhibition. Since then she has continued to curate VR and solo exhibitions in their immersive space in hybrid forms ((and led workshops and mentored )) Ms.Walsh has also led workshops on XR as well as on art made for the blockchain. In 2021 Ms.Walsh was the second invited curator to launch Feral File. In addition, Ms. Walsh’s exhibition launched the NFT biennial at PSM Zorlu in Istanbul January 2023. In June 2023 Ms.Walsh co-curated the Istanbul Digital Art Festival. In March 2023 Ms.Walsh moderated a panel at SxSW with Jean-Michel Jarre, Hsin-Chien Huang and Maud Clauvier on How XR is revolutionizing the music industry. In 2024 Ms.Walsh is co-curating IDAF2024, a solo show of Hsin-Chien Huang @MEET Digital Culture Center Milan, a new VR exhibit there as well, and is on the jury for FilmGate Immersive (Miami).

Consulting Curator

MEET Digital Culture Center:
First grand opening of MEET’s metaverse for Synthetic Corpo-Reality (2021)
Represented MEET Digital Culture Center at Ars Electronica with lecture about Synthetic-Corpo Reality (Sept 2021)

Workshop for Innocult (March 2021- and April 2022)

3 part workshop on Immersive technologies for Cultural Institutions and VR in the Arts

Curator of Enter the Plastocene with Tamiko Thiel/p (Feb 2022)

Curating Cadenza physically and virtually (Sept 2022)

Art advisor / Curator for Art Consortium (2021- onwards)

Upcoming

2023

January: Curatorial advisor for the NFT Biennial (Istanbul)

April: Invited keynote to Innocult @MEET Digital Culture Center on Digital Innovation Meets Cultural Innovation: Decoding Web3.0, the Metaverse and NFT Art

TBD: “Cadenza” a social web based and VR exhibition @ MEET Digital Culture Center

Projects

2022

May: Appearance on TRT World Program on NFT ART (Istanbul) with Frèdèric Laffy

April: Lecture at Cameroon National Pavillion at the Venice Biennale on “NFT Art and Reimagining Collaborations with Cultural Institutions “ with Eduardo Katz, Tamiko Thiel, Marc-Olivier Wahler (director of MAH Geneva), Boris Magrini (curator at HeK Basel), Marlies Wirth (curator at MAK in Vienna)

April: Lecture for Innocult program at MEET Digital Culture Center (Milan) for 30 cultural institutions on “Decoding Web3, Metaverse and NFT’s”.

February: Curated Tamiko Thiel “Enter the Plastocene” at MEET Digital Culture Center (Milan)

2021

Art advisor/curator for Art Consortium

November: Lecturer at NYU (virtually) on the Visual and Performing Arts in VR

April: Jury member and curator of Transmutation with Tim Deussen, Katharina Haverich , Brenda Lopez and Anneli Ann Goeller

March: Co-curator of immersiVR with Georgio Vitale at Synthesis gallery

Feb: VR workshop series for MEET which consists of 3 workshops

Feb: Curator for Synthetic Corpo-Reality. The grand opening for  MEET (Milan) virtual exhibition space. Artists include: Miao Xiaochun, Zhou Xiaohu, Claudia Hart, Tamiko Thiel, Rebecca Allen, Auriea Harvey, Sophie Kahn, Martina Menengon,Tim Deussun, Carla Gannis

Curator of second exhibition for Feral File; Matthew Gantt, Claudia Hart, Sophie Kahn, Auriea Harvey, Carla Gannis and Martina Menegon

2019

Creation of CVAM (Chicago Virtual Art Museum): A digital art museum with an ongoing exhibitions of digital art in a social VR platform

"In Search of Humanity" VR Exhibition

2018

"In Search of Reality" VR Exhibition

Curated “In Search of Reality” VR exhibition for the Sonia Dhillon-Marty Foundation taking place during the UNESCO kick off party in Paris. Artists: Tamiko Thiel, Alfredo Salazar- Caro, Bianca Kennedy, Felix Kraus, David Guez, and Bastion Didier.

2016

The exhibition questioned the boundaries of nature in regards to”improved”agricultural produce or genetically modified seeds. The show included sculptural installations and photography.

"Origins" by Han Seok Hyun

2011

"Gagawaka" Making Strange | Artist Vivan Sundaram

Renegade promenade of models in wearable art walk through the Art India Fair in Delhi (India). The art was called “Gagawaka” created by Vivan Sundaram. Project included documentation by videographer and photographer.

 

2016-2019

VR/AR Research & Development

Researched and interviewed VR/AR artists, curators, and technology consultants. This included international travel
to VR festivals, conferences, and art exhibitions.

Talks

2020

Invited moderator to SXSW “Smart Art: Creation in the Age of Digital Technology”

Invited jury member and curator of MR art exhibition in Le Bain Douche RectoVR-so 2020 (Laval, France)

Virtual Moderator of panel “Digital and Virtual Art Exhibitions IRL and the Virtual World” at Laval Virtual on Virbella platform for RectoVr-so

Launch of Fireside Chat Interview in VR series in Anyland

Invited Virtual Guest Speaker on VR talk show “Spatialand”

Lecturer at SAIC (Chicago, USA) on MR and ART and “Best Curatorial Practices for VR Exhibitions” and led class on Virtual tour of XR art platforms in the Art and Technology Department

Moderator for AAMC (Art Association of Museum Curators) webinar “Reimagining Art In Virtual Realms”

Virtual Moderator of “Hybrid Worlds Fusing Art IRL with Virtual Spaces” panel at Mediantage (Munich,Germany)

2019

Lecturer at SAIC (Chicago, USA) on VR and ART in the Art and Technology Department

Keynote speaker and panelist at VRHAM (Hamburg, Germany)

Keynote speaker at Virtual Worlds Munchen Film festival (Munich, Germany)

Keynote speaker at “The Whims of the Future” Premaya Art Foundation and Alliance Francaise (Delhi, India)

Invited Curator at The HUB (Montreal, Canada)

Launch of Mixed Reality Art Academy (MIRAA) with Tina Sauerlaender & Daniella Schulz

2018

Keynote speaker at VRDAYS Europe (Amsterdam, Netherlands) on VR and Art for the Museum morning section

Affiliations

VRHam! Logo
Peer To Space Logo
Dhillon Marty Foundation Logo
VR Days Logo
SAIC (School of the Art Institute of Chicago) Logo
The Hub Logo
Bifan (Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival) Logo

Additional

  • 2018 to present  AAMC (Art Association of Museum Curators) and on the membership committee.
  • Co-founder of Mixed Reality Academy for the Arts (MIRAA) Education on Immersive Technologies in Art, Culture & Creative Industries.
  • Non-Berlin gallery.
  • Member of the Independent Curators International.

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