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Athens-based artist Theo Triantafyllidis, winner of the 2026 Frieze Artist Award, is presenting Feral Metaverse (Spider), a climbable sculpture linked to a live multiplayer game. The work will be on view at Frieze London from Oct. 14 to 18, with Google saying Gemini was used during its development.
Athens-based artist Theo Triantafyllidis, winner of the 2026 Frieze Artist Award, will present a giant climbable spider sculpture connected to a live multiplayer game at Frieze London this month. The project, titled Feral Metaverse (Spider), 2026, combines a physical installation with a shared digital world and is scheduled to be on view in Regent’s Park from Oct. 14 to 18.
Visitors are invited to climb the spider-shaped structure and help one another get aboard. The experience then extends to an online environment where players can move and collaborate, forming what the project description calls temporary collective bodies. The artist’s concept links physical contact and teamwork in the installation with cooperation in the game.
Google says the award enabled Triantafyllidis to expand the project team, which included sculptors, fabricators, textile designers, game developers and civil engineers. The group used Gemini during its workflow to generate sketches, character designs, backdrops and 3D renders that helped shape the game’s appearance. The source describes Gemini as a tool and collaborator; it does not say the system created the finished work independently.
The Frieze Artist Award is co-commissioned and co-produced with Forma, in collaboration with Google Arts & Culture. Frieze and Google announced the project on Oct. 6. The installation is planned for the fair’s London edition, held in The Regent’s Park.
A Sculpture Designed for Cooperation
The work joins an in-person installation and a multiplayer game, asking visitors to coordinate across both rather than encounter the sculpture only as an object to view. Participants are encouraged to watch one another, exchange advice and learn as they climb and play. That makes shared action—not simply the spider’s scale or appearance—a central part of the experience described by its organizers.
The project also offers a concrete example of how generative AI entered an art-production process. Google says Gemini helped the team develop visual material, while artists and specialists across several disciplines built the physical and digital work. The announcement does not establish how much of the final design came from AI-generated material, but it describes those outputs as part of a broader process involving human collaborators.
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From Award to London Installation
The Frieze Artist Award supports artists creating ambitious new work at pivotal points in their careers. Triantafyllidis works across video games, live simulations, performances and physical installations, according to the announcement. His project for the 2026 award is presented as a participatory work rather than a sculpture separate from its digital component.
The artist’s description frames the spider as a figure of engineering and shared activity. “Spiders are the original engineers,” Triantafyllidis said. The project materials describe the sculpture as soft enough to invite touch, despite its potentially intimidating appearance from a distance. Those details are part of the announced design; visitor responses will be known only after the work opens.
Google’s report says the game and installation will interact across the fair booth, moving between screen-based play and physical participation. The project is credited to Triantafyllidis and his wider production team, with the work presented courtesy of the artist and The Breeder in Athens.
“Spiders are the original engineers.”
— Theo Triantafyllidis, artist
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Details Await the Fair Opening
The announcement does not provide the sculpture’s dimensions, the game’s technical requirements, how many visitors can participate at once, or how long a typical interaction will last. It also does not specify whether participants will need to bring their own devices or whether the game will be accessed through equipment at the booth.
Google describes Gemini’s role in generating visual materials but does not detail which outputs were retained, how they were revised, or how the team divided design decisions between AI tools and human contributors. The work is scheduled to open on Oct. 14; its operation and public response have not yet been reported.
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The Work Opens October 14
Feral Metaverse (Spider) is scheduled to be presented at Frieze London in The Regent’s Park from Oct. 14 through Oct. 18, 2026. The event will provide the first opportunity for visitors to try the climbable sculpture and its linked multiplayer experience in person.
Further practical details, including how visitors will access the game and manage participation at the installation, may become available from Frieze or the project team before or during the fair. Google Arts & Culture says it will publish more about how the work was made.
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Key Questions
What is Feral Metaverse (Spider)?
It is a climbable spider sculpture connected to a live multiplayer game, created by Theo Triantafyllidis for Frieze London 2026.
When and where can visitors see it?
The work is scheduled to be on view at Frieze London in The Regent’s Park, Oct. 14–18, 2026.
How does the artwork involve visitors?
Visitors are invited to help one another climb the sculpture and then take part in a shared digital environment where players can move and collaborate.
How was Gemini used on the project?
Google says the team used Gemini to generate sketches, character designs, backdrops and 3D renders during development. The announcement does not specify which generated materials appear in the final work.
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