CARNE y ARENA Media Information

June 9th to September 10th, 2022

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

May 4, 2022

Alejandro G. Iñárritu’s Academy Award®-Winning Virtual Reality Installation CARNE y ARENA to Debut in Omaha, Nebraska

A groundbreaking and immersive virtual reality experience travels to KANEKO.
June 9, 2022 – September 10, 2022

 

OMAHA, Neb. (May 4, 2022) — Alejandro G. Iñárritu’s Academy Award®-winning virtual reality experience CARNE y ARENA (Virtually present, Physically invisible) explores the human condition of immigrants and refugees.

CARNE y ARENA will be presented for the first time in Nebraska by KANEKO, in partnership with Emerson Collective, PHI Studio, Legendary Entertainment, and Fondazione Prada. This immersive VR experience recounting the harrowing journey of Central American and Mexican refugees is set to open on June 9, 2022, in KANEKO galleries after numerous sold-out runs in the U.S. and abroad.

Originally presented at the 70th Festival de Cannes in 2017, CARNE y ARENA was the first VR experience ever chosen as part of the festival’s Official Selection. Created with frequent collaborator and three-time Academy Award®-winning cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki, CARNE y ARENA employs state-of-the-art immersive technology to create a multi-narrative light space with human characters and explores the human condition of refugees and immigrants during their journey.

The 20-minute solo experience is based on true accounts. Called by critics “a must-see” and “genius” and described by attendees as “life-changing” and “powerful,” CARNE y ARENA blurs lines between subject and bystander as individuals walk in a vast space and thoroughly live a fragment of the refugee’s personal journeys.

Following its 2017 premiere, five-time Academy Award-winning director Iñárritu was presented a special Oscar® for CARNE y ARENA by the Academy “in recognition of a visionary and powerful experience in storytelling.”

CARNE y ARENA is produced by PHI Studio, Emerson Collective, and Legendary Entertainment in collaboration with Fondazione Prada.

In addition, the following Omaha institutions are also coming together to serve as community partners for CARNE y ARENA, including Vic Gutman & Associates; UNO: Goldstein Center for Human Rights; UNO: Office of Latino/Latin American Studies; Immigrant Legal Center; UNO: Center for Afghanistan Studies; Holland Children’s Institute and the Holland Children’s Movement; Afro Omaha; International Council for Refugees and Immigrants (ICR) Elevate Omaha; Completely KIDS; Inclusive Communities; and the Rose Theater.

Virtual and live programming will be held throughout the run of CARNE y ARENA, with additional community partners presenting content and events as it relates to their exhibitions and programs.

Advance bookings for timed tickets are on sale now at thekaneko.org/programs/cya.

Special Recognition

KANEKO would like to recognize our partner Vic Gutman & Associates for the crucial fundraising efforts to make this project successful. We also would like to thank The Sherwood Foundation and The Holland Foundation for making it possible for this incredible experience to come to Omaha.

Quotes from Partners and Supporters

“A blend of many artistic disciplines, cutting edge technology, and community engagement, CARNE y ARENA is a massive collaboration by creatives from multiple countries and diverse backgrounds to create an inspiring experience that inherently results in a forum for our community to have a thoughtful conversation and create lasting partnerships. CARNE y ARENA is a perfect experience for KANEKO.” 

“PHI’s mission has always been to provide a forum for artists and to generate dialogue with the public around contemporary issues that impact our collective existence. The CARNE y ARENA experience highlights a human situation that affects us all. By literally walking in the footsteps of these migrants and refugees, we have no choice but to become aware of a reality that may seem remote. That’s why, after discovering this striking work at its premiere at the Cannes Film Festival and then later in Washington, D.C. We made every effort to adapt the installation so that it could move from one city to another and be experienced by as many people as possible.”

“CARNE y ARENA’s power is the incredible experience of walking in someone else’s shoes, creating empathy, and discovering there is more to a story than simply what you read in the news. Our partnership with the KANEKO will give Nebraskans the opportunity to feel and see the experience, offer room for dialogue, and broaden awareness about the immigration experience.” 

“During the making of this project, I had the privilege of meeting and interviewing many Mexican and Central American refugees. Their life stories haunted me, so I invited some of them to collaborate with me on the project. My intention was to experiment with VR technology to explore the human condition in an attempt to break the dictatorship of the frame–within which things are just observed–and claim the space to allow the visitor to go through a direct experience walking in the immigrants’ feet, under their skin, and into their hearts.”

For more information, please visit https://thekaneko.org/programs/cya/. For media inquiries, please contact Erin Sorensen on behalf of KANEKO at 402-578-2000 or hello@erinsorensen.com or Christopher Halbkat at 402-341-3800 or christopher@thekaneko.org. 

 

About Alejandro G. Iñárritu, Director 

Alejandro G. Iñárritu is a Mexican film director, writer, and producer. His feature films, which often break with traditional narrative structures and explore the complex depths of the human condition, have garnered critical acclaim and numerous accolades, in- including five Academy Awards®. He made his feature directorial debut at the Cannes Semaine de la Critique in 2000 and was nominated for a Foreign Film Academy Award with Amores Perros. His following credits include 21 Grams; Babel, which won the Best Director Award at the 2006 Festival de Cannes and garnered seven Oscar nominations; and Biutiful, presented in competition in 2010 at Cannes. Iñárritu took home the prize for Best Director, Best Picture, and Best Original Screenplay at the 87th Academy Awards for Birdman (or The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance). The following year, Iñárritu won his second consecutive Academy Award for Best Director for The Revenant. He is the first Mexican filmmaker to be nominated for either director or producer and to receive a Best Screenplay and Best Picture at the Academy Awards. Most recently, Iñárritu created the VR installation Carne y Arena (Virtually present, Physically invisible), which was premiered at the 2017 Festival de Cannes as the first VR project ever included in the official selection. CARNE y ARENA garnered Iñárritu his fifth Academy Award; a special Oscar presented to him by the Board of Governors. 

About PHI Studio

PHI Studio focuses its activities on the presentation of immersive works in virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), and extended reality (XR). Recognized locally and internationally for its innovative production approach, technical expertise, and achievements in new forms of storytelling, PHI Studio collaborates with major global industry players and has worked on many award-winning projects, with international presentations in New York, Tokyo, Venice, Frankfurt, Luxembourg, and Houston, among others. As a pioneer in interactive experiences, PHI Studio pushes the boundaries of immersive projects, with a focus on enhancing the visitor experience through a keen sense of detail and the elaboration of high-quality scenography. With a reputation for close collaborations with artists, creators, directors, and producers from different backgrounds, PHI Studio aspires to be a catalyst of innovation, supporting the development of present and future talent.

About Emerson Collective

Emerson Collective is an organization dedicated to removing barriers to opportunity so people can live to their full potential. Established and led by Laurene Powell Jobs, Emerson Collective focuses on education, immigration reform, the environment, and other social justice initiatives. Emerson uses a wide range of tools and strategies—from philanthropy and venture investing, to partnering with entrepreneurs, advocates, and storytellers—to develop and execute innovative solutions that will spur change and promote equality. For more information, please visit: emersoncollective.com

About Legendary Entertainment

Legendary Entertainment is a leading media company with film (Legendary Pictures), television and digital (Legendary Television and Digital Media), and comics (Legendary Comics) divisions dedicated to owning, producing, and delivering content to worldwide audiences. Legendary has built a library of marquee media properties and has established itself as a trusted brand which consistently delivers high-quality commercial entertainment, including some of the world’s most popular intellectual property. In aggregate, Legendary Pictures-associated productions have realized grosses of more than $17 billion worldwide at the box office. 

About the KANEKO

KANEKO is a nonprofit arts and cultural organization dedicated to exploring and encouraging the creative process and how it impacts our lives. Established by internationally renowned sculptor Jun Kaneko and his wife, Ree, KANEKO was conceived of as an “open space for your mind,” a place where thoughtful examination of others’ ideas through exhibitions and public programs leads us to new and exciting ideas of our own. For more information about KANEKO, please visit thekaneko.org.

 

Media Contacts

 

Erin Sorensen

On behalf of KANEKO

402-578-2000 (cell)

hello@erinsorensen.com

 

Christopher Halbkat

KANEKO

402-341-3800 (desk)

christopher@thekaneko.org

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