Invisible garden ARt comes to life this summer

One of the world's most ambitious and expansive augmented reality (AR) art exhibitions will call Adelaide Botanic Garden its new virtual home until September 2023.

Seeing the Invisible will make its South Australian debut and showcase thirteen immersive AR works which will be virtually located at various sites throughout Adelaide Botanic Garden.

Each artwork is viewed through smart devices using the free Seeing the Invisible app (available on the App Store and Google Play) and are only discoverable by physically visiting the Garden.

Artists from all over the world have contributed to the exhibition with each piece highlighting the importance of nature, the environment, sustainability and the boundaries between art, technology and nature.

The exhibition is part of a joint venture among botanic gardens across the world and was initiated by the Jerusalem Botanical Gardens and Outset Contemporary Art Fund.

Botanic Gardens and State Herbarium director Michael Harvey said the exhibition will provide yet another reason for South Australians to visit the Adelaide Botanic Garden this summer.

"It's already a great time to visit the garden, but when you add on top of that an interactive and completely unique international art exhibition available right on our doorstep, it's certainly very exciting," he said.

"The sense of anticipation you get when you walk through the garden searching for the next location to explore and interact with the technology is something which visitors of any age can enjoy.

"We're extremely proud that we can bring such a unique and exciting technological experience to our visitors which is visible among our amazing natural displays."

Artworks include Ai Weiwei's jaw-dropping Gilded Cage, Daito Manabe's Morphecore Prototype as well as Australia's own Mel O'Callaghan's Pneuma and many more.

Adelaide is the only Australian city to host the collection this year after Seeing the Invisible made its Australian debut in Victoria in 2021.

Seeing the Invisible's second international run will be featured in botanic gardens located in Australia, Canada, England, Greece, Israel, Singapore, South Africa and the United States.