Theo Triantafyllidis.
Photo: NIKOS KATSAROS
Next Big Thing: Theo Triantafyllidis
A pioneer in digital art, this architect-trained creative builds virtual spaces for the human body to inhabit
A pioneer in digital art, Theo Triantafyllidis builds virtual spaces for the human body to inhabit. “I’m fascinated by the tension between our domesticated, hyper-connected lives and the primal instincts that still drive so much of our behavior,” says the Athens-born, Los Angeles artist whose work BugSim (Pheromone Spa) is on view at the Whitney Museum of American Art through January 2026.
“I am mostly thinking of the paradox of our biologically slow-evolving brains trying to keep up with the rapid pace of technological progress. It’s interesting to see how we navigate these raw, instinctual urges within an increasingly controlled, polished world.”
“Theo’s approach to humor, absurdity, and the uncanny grants his immersive environments a compelling, poetic edge”
Kim Conaty, Nancy and Steve Crown Family Chief Curator, Whitney Museum of American Art
A detail of the artist’s BugSim (Pheromone Spa), 2022. Photo: COURTESY OF THE ARTIST
Theo Triantafyllidis, Installation view of Pheromone Spa, 2023, at Plasmata II, Onassis Culture, Ioannina, Greece. Photo: Pinelopi Gerasimou, Courtesy of the artist
Unique process: Trained as an architect, Triantafyllidis brings those principles into virtual worlds, creating environments that “function more like ecosystems, where bodies, systems, and actions collide.”
Parallel universe: His most ambitious project yet is Feral Metaverse, an experimental multiplayer game, recently on view at Onassis ONX in New York. Over time, the game will evolve online and as a physical installation in the gallery. “I want to remind ourselves that not everything has to make sense and there’s real value in the messy, unstructured moments we experience together.”
Opening performance at Group Hug by Onassis ONX of Feral Metaverse, 2024. Photo: Sinclair Li, Courtesy of the artist
Installation view of Feral Metaverse, 2024, at Group Hug by Onassis ONX, in New York. Photo: Matthew Niederhauser, Courtesy of the artist
A version of this article first appeared in print in our 2024 Winter Issue under the headline “Next Big Things.” Subscribe to the magazine.
Cover: Theo Triantafyllidis.
Photo: NIKOS KATSAROS
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