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Athens-based artist Theo Triantafyllidis, winner of the 2026 Frieze Artist Award, is presenting Feral Metaverse (Spider), a climbable sculpture linked to a multiplayer game. The work will be shown at Frieze London from Oct. 14 to 18, with Google saying Gemini was used during the game’s design process.
Athens-based artist Theo Triantafyllidis will present a climbable giant spider sculpture connected to a multiplayer game at Frieze London from Oct. 14 to 18, organizers announced. The project, titled Feral Metaverse (Spider), 2026, is the 2026 Frieze Artist Award commission and brings visitors together in a physical installation and a shared digital environment.
The sculpture is designed for visitors to climb, with the experience continuing in an online world where players cooperate and move together. Google’s announcement describes the structure as soft to the touch and says visitors are encouraged to help each other get aboard. In the game, participants can form what the announcement calls temporary collective bodies.
The Frieze Artist Award supports artists making ambitious new work, according to Google. The project is co-commissioned and co-produced with Forma, in collaboration with Google Arts & Culture. Triantafyllidis works across video games, live simulations, performance and physical installations.
Google said the artist’s expanded project team included sculptors, fabricators, textile designers, game developers and civil engineers. It also said the team used Gemini in its workflow to produce sketches, character designs, backdrops and 3D renders that informed the game’s visual design.
A Sculpture Designed for Cooperation
The work connects physical participation with a multiplayer digital experience rather than presenting a sculpture only as an object to view. Visitors are expected to watch one another, share advice and learn how to take part, making cooperation part of the artwork’s stated design.
That format also brings a practical question to an art-fair setting: how a shared virtual space can be experienced alongside a physical installation. The project offers visitors a chance to move between the sculpture and the game, while showing how an artist’s practice can combine fabrication, performance and game design. These are features of the announced work; its reception and visitor experience have yet to be reported.
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From Award to Frieze Commission
Google’s Oct. 6 announcement identifies Triantafyllidis as the recipient of the 2026 Frieze Artist Award. The award supports artists at pivotal points in their careers as they develop ambitious work. The spider project is the resulting commission, presented during Frieze London in Regent’s Park.
Triantafyllidis has described spiders as “the original engineers,” according to the announcement. The work builds on that idea through a spider-shaped structure and a digital setting characterized by Google as playful and collaborative. Google also says the project draws on shared experience and physical contact, although the announcement does not provide technical specifications for the structure or game.
““Spiders are the original engineers.””
— Theo Triantafyllidis, as quoted in Google’s announcement
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Visitor Access and Game Details
The announcement does not specify the sculpture’s dimensions, the game’s hardware or software requirements, how many people can play at once, or whether visitors will need to book a session. It also does not explain how long a typical interaction lasts or what accessibility provisions will be available for climbing the structure.
Google’s description says Gemini was used in the creative workflow, but gives no detail on which outputs were retained, how they were revised, or what role the tool played relative to the artists and developers. The announcement does not report audience testing or independent evaluation of the installation.
multiplayer virtual reality game equipment
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The Work Opens October 14
Feral Metaverse (Spider, 2026) is scheduled to be on display at Frieze London in Regent’s Park from Oct. 14 through Oct. 18, 2026. Google says further information about the work’s making is available through Google Arts & Culture.
Details about public access, visitor capacity and the installation’s operation may become clearer as the fair approaches or once it opens. The announcement does not give a later exhibition schedule.
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Key Questions
Who created the giant spider artwork?
Theo Triantafyllidis, an Athens-based artist, created Feral Metaverse (Spider, 2026) for the 2026 Frieze Artist Award.
Where and when can visitors see it?
The work is scheduled to appear at Frieze London in Regent’s Park from Oct. 14 to 18, 2026.
Is the spider sculpture connected to a game?
Yes. The announced project pairs a climbable physical sculpture with a multiplayer digital environment where participants cooperate and move together.
How was Gemini used in the project?
Google says the team used Gemini in its creative workflow to generate sketches, character designs, backdrops and 3D renders. The announcement does not specify how the outputs were edited or used in the finished game.
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