filip custic interactive sculpture pi(x)el is currently on view at Somerset House (London) as part of the group exhibition Virtual Beauty (23 July – 28 September 2025). Conceived as a survey of how digital culture and AI are reshaping our perceptions of identity and beauty, the show brings together more than twenty international artists, including Amalia Ulman, Lil Miquela, Arvida Byström and M.C. Abbott.
pi(x)el is a hyperrealist silicone figure fitted with a suit of twenty‑five LED screens. These screens cover the mouth, eyes and other sensitive areas, displaying looped footage of assorted human features drawn from a diverse range of bodies. With a simple swipe, visitors can swap the images on the screens and construct a hybrid body beyond the conventions of gender, age or race. In doing so, custic invites us to reflect on how technology mediates our relationship to the body and how fluid identities emerge through digital manipulation.
The exhibition, a project initiated by HEK (House of Electronic Arts, Basel), is co-curated by Gonzalo Herrero Delicado, Mathilde Friis, Bunny Kinney and supported by Claire Catterall, Senior Curator at Somerset House. Virtual Beauty examines subjects such as avatar culture, AI‑generated imagery and augmented reality. The exhibition coincides with Somerset House’s 25th anniversary and proposes a dialogue about who holds the power to define beauty in a post‑internet era.
For further details and tickets, visit the Somerset House website.
