CIRCA is a futuristic project focused on digital art born from an idea of the London artist Josef O’Connor. Started 1 October 2020 until the end of the year, CIRCA turns the advertising screen of Piccadilly Circus in London into a massive digital canvas broadcasting works of art from well-known contemporary artists. Every day for two minutes (20:20 - 20:22 BST/GMT), Piccadilly Lights’ advertising will be suspended to present the digital project, which will feature a different artist every month.

The initiative started in early October with the eclectic Chinese artist Ai Weiwei. All spectators, using their own headphones and connecting to the website www.circa.art, will be able to enjoy a unique audiovisual and immersive experience, while respecting guidelines for social distancing. CIRCA pioneers a new way of enjoying art, engaging and personal but also safe. Every evening, the website will broadcast the artwork in live streaming at the same time as it shows on the mega screen. Throughout the month, artists will upload images, texts and videos online to support their work, in order to expand the artistic discourse and involve a digital community that is as broad and diverse as possible. The launch was preceded by the projection, in the last week of September, of a two-minute video made by Brazilian director Rodrigo Inada, with the participation of well-known personalities in the art scene, including Ai Weiwei and Tracey Emin. CIRCA will contribute towards the restart of the country’s cultural economy by selling original prints. All proceeds will be donated to support the United Kingdom’s artistic community. At the moment, it is possible to buy limited edition prints made by Ai Weiwei.

The project is supported by institutions and galleries, in particular Piccadilly Lights, Lisson Gallery, the Showroom, Gagosian, Whitechapel Gallery, Imperial War Museums, ICA, Museo della Merda (Italy) and the Maramotti Collection (Italy).