Achik’ and the Desert IV is presented in “Metaglyphs,” curated by Katie Peyton Hofstadter. Metaglyphs showcases artists using digital technologies to generate layers of meaning on more than one experiential plane, and includes work by Alfredo Salazar-Caro, Amy Kurzweil, Claudia Hart, LaJuné McMillian, LoVid, Carla Gannis, FakeShamus, Morehshin Allahyari, Savannah Spirit, and Swoon.

Metaglyph roughly translates to “beyond symbol” — an artwork representing the interconnected relationship between object materiality and digital existence. For as long as humans have told stories, we’ve been interested in objects that exist at the border between worlds. From ancient mythology to modern science fiction, our archetypal stories are filled with magical objects that serve as keys, black mirrors of culture and false identity, secret weapons with hidden powers. These NFT tokenized artworks use multiple techniques — ranging from digital simulation technology to 3D modeling to glitch — to probe the boundaries and consequences of our digital and analog desires.

The goal is not to replace reality, but to return to and enrich it. When we step through the looking glass — when we board the vessel — what will we see?

“These artworks are vessels that serve as a link between the familiar and the unknown. It’s the butterfly pinned to the board, and the butterfly rising above it. Not just the shark’s tooth, but its bite.”

–– Katie Peyton Hofstadter