GoogleIt is an art curation project by Jonathan Pratt and Tom Gibson that exists beyond the confines of traditional gallery spaces, challenging conventional modes of experiencing art. The exhibition takes place in a physical location that is inaccessible to anyone other than its creators, with its only mode of public presentation being through a series of 360-degree images uploaded to Google Maps, tethered to no specific location or pin. This format serves as both an exhibition space and a permanent archive, allowing the show to exist indefinitely—long after its curators have expired.
The Concept
Both curators share a dissatisfaction with conventional gallery settings stemming from experiences in exhibiting new media art. They find that time-based works are often given only fleeting attention, and that many pieces do not integrate naturally into a typical white cube environment. This frustration led to a desire to create an exhibition that would further complicate the act of viewing art, making it deliberately challenging and inhospitable while embracing digital technology.
The artworks immortalized within the exhibition each speak to topics such as land use, the right to roam, and other surrounding themes involving a state of place. Given the limits and circumstances of the technologies at play, the works become abstracted, often unrecognizable through digital noise. With this, a deliberate effort has been made by the curators to withhold any documentary images of the show and its components that may otherwise offer a more optimal and efficient viewing experience.
From this premise, GoogleIt was born: a physical exhibition that can only be accessed virtually. The project plays with the paradox of separation and accessibility—while the artworks exist in a real-world space, their audience is entirely dependent on digital mediation. The exhibition’s title serves as an instruction: anyone interested must quite literally “Google it” to find the show.
The Location
For its inaugural iteration, GoogleIt was staged in a cattle barn owned by the family of Tom Gibson. This location was chosen for its remoteness and its stark opposition to the pristine neutrality and ease of access offered by a gallery. The barn, an active agricultural space, housed the exhibition amid the raw, organic realities of farm life. The setting not only subverted traditional gallery aesthetics but also added an unintended layer of humor—placing the artwork “among the shit” invited comparisons to the notion that all art is, in some way, bullshit. The rejection of the white cube ethos was absolute.
A Google Maps screenshot of the barn’s location was used to design the open call poster, reinforcing the exhibition’s conceptual framework. The process of finding and experiencing the show became part of the artwork itself, making discovery an essential component of the audience's engagement.
The Legacy
By embedding itself into Google Maps, GoogleIt ensures its longevity in the digital ether. This method of exhibition not only challenges traditional ideas of curation, display, and accessibility but also raises questions about permanence and preservation in an era where physicality is increasingly optional. The show exists outside of institutions, outside of accessibility, and outside of time—its virtual presence is its defining characteristic.
This project is an exploration of space, context, and digital mediation in art. It invites audiences to reconsider the relationship between viewer and artwork, accessibility and exclusivity, and the shifting nature of exhibition-making in the 21st century. In an art world that constantly seeks to define where art belongs, GoogleIt offers a radical alternative: art that is everywhere and nowhere at once.
To visit the exhibition, GoogleIt.