You might not recognize the name Maxim Zhestkov, but if you paid any attention to the launch of PlayStation 5, you’ll almost certainly recognize his iconic digital art which accompanied the reveal of the console. Now Zhestkov has launched a virtual gallery that he says will feature and ever-growing collection of his digital works.

Maxim Zhestkov is the artist behind the satisfying swarm of particles that that accompanied the reveal of PS5 back in 2020.

Much of Zhestkov’s work similarly employs space, motion, shapes, and sound, which makes virtual reality the perfect medium for others to experience it.

To that end Zhestkov has released a new VR experience called Modules, a virtual gallery where he’s shared 11 different works which users can explore at their own pace and from any angle, complete with artist commentary on each piece.

Modules is rendered in real-time and available on both Quest headsets and PC VR (as well as non-VR via Steam). Ironically, despite Zhestkov’s work on the PS5 reveal, the project isn’t available on PSVR 2.

Zhestkov says that Modules will “expand to contain [my] entire body of work.”

One of the scenes in ‘Modules’ | Image courtesy Maxim Zhestkov

“Over the course of years, the project will grow as the artist grows, expanding into new territories and blurring the boundaries between art, games, and reality,” he says.

The project’s website contains a roadmap of future expansions, with an ‘Interactive’ segment coming in Fall 2023, followed by ‘Collaborative’ and ‘Creative’ segments next year.

Newsletter graphic

This article may contain affiliate links. If you click an affiliate link and buy a product we may receive a small commission which helps support the publication. More information.


Ben Lang
Ben is the world's most senior professional analyst solely dedicated to the XR industry, having founded Road to VR in 2011—a year before the Oculus Kickstarter sparked a resurgence that led to the modern XR landscape. He has authored more than 3,000 articles chronicling the evolution of the XR industry over more than a decade. With that unique perspective, Ben has been consistently recognized as one of the most influential voices in XR, giving keynotes and joining panel and podcast discussions at key industry events. He is a self-described "journalist and analyst, not evangelist."
  • ViRGiN

    obsolete

    • CIR

      Ok, but why?

      • ViRGiN

        this is somewhere between 2013-2017 worth of VR.
        cool 5 minutes for existing users, obsolete for everyone else.
        low effort “abstract” type of museum.

        • sfmike

          I guess you haven’t been to many modern art museums lately.

          • ViRGiN

            Ah, yes, presenting pieces from indie unkown artists is such a hype and profitable business this is a very regular thing outside of most mainstream cities in the most perfect location.
            Where are the true museums in VR? Where is all the digitization of museums accessible to wheelchair bound users? Where? Where?

            Yea let’s get excited about some simple procedural math and call it art, cause this has never been done before.

  • I really like the concept of artists having a personally crafted virtual space to exhibit their art. Seems like a great use for WebXR where users could drop in from time to time to see what new works have been added.

    • ViRGiN

      nobody cares.
      we had this kind of stuff with x1000 higher magnitude all around the world with gear vr, oculus go, daydream and even google cardboard.

      • Yes, because if it didn’t work for Google Cardboard, a device famously loved by everyone, then how could it possibly work on anything else? The entire industry asks itself this question every single day, lol.

        I get where you’re coming from though. The vast majority of these art-first experiences are pretty vapid and hollow. There likely needs to be more to it than just moving through a space by yourself.