South African digital artist takes augmented reality to the next level
Xopher Wallace merges the real and virtual worlds, making his dreams a reality by using fine art photography and augmented reality.
The digital artist’s identity
It is well known that Xopher Wallace is not the artist’s actual name. Further proof of his dedication would be his way of life. He puts on goggles and a morph suit in all of his photographs to ensure that he remains unidentified. He has adopted a façade of anonymity to ensure that ‘his authentic character’ and for people to focus mainly on his art. He also uses the black morph suit and goggles as a way to evoke a sense of loneliness in a surreal world.
The pandemic’s influence of the artist’s career
As the COVID-19 pandemic forced lockdowns across the entire nation, meaning that galleries also couldn’t host any visitors. This was a source of great sadness for businesses, artists and all people across the entire world. This is where Xopher Wallace got creative, he did not allow the pandemic to interfere with his passion. He decided to host “Inside/Outside”. An online exhibition that allowed South African visual artists to showcase their work. The online event received nearly 5,000 visitors on the first day alone. Xopher Wallace not only solved the problem for himself, but also numerous South African Artists.
About Xopher Wallace’s project
“I named my current ongoing project ‘Sleepwalker,’ because that’s what a sleepwalker does — dreams while physically awake.” Xopher Wallace is heavily influenced by the Japanese anime series “Mob Psycho 100” which uses imagery that closely resemble the silhouette that he saw in his dreams. He desires to address the themes of believing in yourself as well as loneliness through his digital work. “In society I think we’re under pressure to only show the good side in our lives, whereas in my work I express even some of my negative feelings or feelings that make me feel uncomfortable,” Wallace said.
