Experience It All At The AGO

You’ve heard a version of the following statement countless times: “Inside our pockets, we have a supercomputer with access to nearly all the information in existence which can be reached with the push of a button.”

And it’s true. Type anything into your phone, and it can tell you everything there is to know about said thing and even show you an image of it.

But when you type in “Grand Canyon,” you don’t get the scope of its majesty on your few-inch by few-inch screen. When you pull an image of the Mona Lisa or a painting by Rothko, you aren’t feeling what it’s like to be in the room with those monumental achievements of human expression, to feel the weight of them as they were meant to.

This campaign for the Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO) highlights that, while you can view most, if not all, of the most famous works of art ever created on your phone, the only way to truly experience the weight and power of these works is by seeing them in person at the AGO. The campaign is in line with the AGO’s goals of getting people to experience art, to engage with it and collaborate with it as a viewer and human being.

I’m sure there is a deep academic thing to be said about the act of seeing or something like that here, but that is above my pay grade.

These print ads are intended to be posted in public places like subways and bus stops, with the phone graphic being a 1:1 scale of the average smartphone.

Copywriter: Tristan Wheeler

Art Director: Tristan Wheeler