Feral Metaverse
For the Frieze London Artist Award 2026, co-commissioned and co-produced with Forma in collaboration with Google Arts & Culture, Theo Triantafyllidis presents Feral Metaverse (Spider), 2026, an installation he considers part videogame, part social experiment, and part public prototype.
Feral Metaverse (Spider) is an extension of Triantafyllidis’s ongoing work, rooted in a thought experiment around the internet commons. This iteration brings his work in sculpture and gameplay closer together, and through the support of the Frieze London Artist Award and Google AI technologies, expands his Feral Metaverse further.
Theo Triantafyllidis, Photo by Paris Tavitian
In his artistic practice, Triantafyllidis uses video games, live simulations, performances, and physical installations. He constructs strange, playful worlds as test environments in which to navigate complex ideas such as ecological collapse or human desire and connection.
Theo Triantafyllidis, BugSim (Pheromone Spa), 2022, Courtesy of the Artist
For Triantafyllidis, the spider is a useful and complex creature – it is strange, scary and crafty, but also intelligent and unexpectedly tender. For Frieze London, he presents it as a character that simultaneously repels us and welcomes us in.
Theo Triantafyllidis, Feral Metaverse (Spider), Sculpture in production
Visitors are initially introduced to the spider as a sculptural form. This physical manifestation is an integral component of the installation.
Its production is a collaboration: facilitated by a team of sculptors, fabricators, textile designers and engineers.
Theo Triantafyllidis, Feral Metaverse (Spider), Iterative production process, Courtesy of the Artist
“We developed the sculpture through an ongoing iterative process, where generative tools were in continuous dialogue with traditional ones: a pencil sketch was prompted into a photorealistic rendering of an installation, a hand-sculpted clay prototype was textured with virtual fabrics, and a generated image was passed along Athens' Fabric District in search of a textile equivalent” - Theo Triantafyllidis
Theo Triantafyllidis, Feral Metaverse (Spider), 2026.
“I think of generative AI less as a tool for making content and more as a strange new material, shaped from huge amounts of human culture compressed into something fluid and constantly changing. When I work with it, I find myself roleplaying as a sculptor, testing what this material wants to do, what it resists, and how its images of skin, fabric, light, and space can be given form.” - Theo Triantafyllidis
Theo Triantafyllidis, Feral Metaverse (Spider), 2026, Sculpture, Courtesy of the Artist and The Breeder, Athens
The spider invites initial interaction through its soft and tactile form. Visitors are encouraged to climb and balance on it, coordinating with one another. The space is transformed from one of passive observation into one of active participation and interaction with the artwork.
Theo Triantafyllidis, Feral Metaverse (Spider), 2026. Game still 2. Courtesy of the Artist and The Breeder, Athens
Once on board a spider leg, visitors have access to the multiplayer game: the second component of the installation, embedded directly in the body of the spider. In this digital world, visitors assume the bodies of feral avatars who can run, crawl, and climb on to each other.
Theo Triantafyllidis, Feral Metaverse (Spider), Feral Creatures in T-pose, Courtesy of the Artist
These avatars were created by Triantafyllidis from photos of friends or screenshots, extracted into T-poses with Gemini, ahead of 3D modelling.
Theo Triantafyllidis, Feral Metaverse (Spider), Cave still, Courtesy of the Artist
These avatars appear in the darkness of a cave constructed by the artist. In developing the texture of this world, Triantafyllidis created a modular kit of textured 3D game parts in collaboration with Gemini, with prompts of wet fabric, rock, broken tiles, and upcycled textiles.
Theo Triantafyllidis' studio, Courtesy of the Artist
“With AI, this workflow allows for a great diversity of characters and clothing, accessories, and vibes that is important for the design direction of the game.” - Theo Triantafyllidis
Frieze London 2025. Photo by Linda Nylind. Courtesy of Frieze.
Through their own collaboration, the players of Feral Metaverse (Spider) work together to transform the installation into a memorable shared experience at Frieze London 2026.
The Frieze London Artist Award 2026 is co-commissioned and co-produced with Forma in collaboration with Google Arts & Culture.
From 14-18 October, 2026, Award recipient, Theo Triantafyllidis presents Feral Metaverse (Spider), 2026 at Frieze London, the Regents Park.
Feral Metaverse (Spider), 2026 is courtesy of the artist and The Breeder, Athens.
Produced by Frieze Studios: Director of Frieze Studios: Francesca Girelli; Creative Director: Matthew McLean; Head of Studios Production: Marina LaVerghetta; Creative Producer: Sherie Sitauze.
Film Crew: Interview: Panos Giannikopoulos; Director: Alex Brack; Cinematography: Aris Ziotopoulos & Arsinoi Pilou; Edit & Sound: Mounir Al Shami; Production Company: Kartago Film; Production Assistant: Josephine Lensing.
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