Can Photography Survive in the Metaverse? A Virtual Art Curator Explains

Most photographers are used to showing their work in galleries, books, or online portfolios. But what happens when your images are displayed inside a 3D virtual world? That’s exactly the challenge Bay Backner has been tackling. As a pioneering Web3 producer, artist, and head curator of Decentraland Art Week 2025, Bay has been at the forefront of bringing photography into the metaverse.

In this interview, Bay talks about her recent collaboration with DIYP to curate a groundbreaking virtual photography exhibition. We explore what it’s really like to show 2D photographs in a 3D space, the surprising ways audiences interact with images in virtual worlds, and why the metaverse could open up bold new opportunities for photographers everywhere.

DIYP: First of all, can you tell us a little bit about what you do?

Bay: I’m head producer and creator at a virtual world called Decentraland, which means that I work with many artists and studios on 3D installations, immersive experiences and in general the future of art within virtual worlds and gaming environments.

DIYP: For people who aren’t familiar, what exactly is the metaverse?

Bay: Imagine the internet, but in 3D. The internet today is 2D. It lets you display writing or images, but you can’t explore a website the way you would a physical space. The metaverse is like translating all of that into three dimensions.

If you ask different people, you’ll get different definitions. I subscribe to the idea that a metaverse is a virtual world with consequence. It means that the things you’re doing within that world have real-world impact: on your career, your creative practice, the things you want to do as a photographer.

If it’s just a game where you can’t show your work or be part of it, then it’s not really a metaverse. A metaverse is a space where you can actively participate, create, and use it as a channel for your work. I also think it’s helpful to see “the metaverse” as all these virtual worlds together, just like we have the internet.

DIYP: You’ve been putting on gallery shows, exhibitions, fashion shows, and even music events in Decentraland. How does that actually work?

Bay: Very much like you would in a real-world space! Some things are easier—for example, space is unlimited. Decentraland is a user-owned world made up of 90,000 parcels of land. Each parcel is 16 by 16 meters of virtual space. We build large-scale events across them, or across Genesis City, which is the shared world. People can also own their own much larger worlds.

The hardest part is managing the audience. We reach people in more than 200 countries, so we have to think about time zones and cultural differences. We often repeat live events twice; once for Asia Pacific/Europe, and once for the Americas, so we’re not privileging one audience. Language is another challenge. English is the main language, but we do a lot of work with Latin American and Spanish-speaking communities too.

DIYP: Can you tell us more about Decentraland Art Week?

Bay: This is the third year I’ve curated it, and it’s the biggest arts festival in Decentraland. I’m working with 27 artists on 3D installations, plus another seven community-run galleries. It’s very open, like Burning Man or the Edinburgh Festival. Anyone can take part if they want to. We try to build the festival in a decentralized way, so people have real opportunities to get involved.

DIYP: For new artists or photographers, is it easy to participate?

Bay: It depends how you want to get involved. A lot of people start by just exhibiting in a gallery show or responding to an open call. Then they get hooked and want to build their own 3D installations, learn Blender, and dive deeper. That can be complicated, so for Art Week we’re releasing a gallery template through Creator Hub. You can just drag and drop, like in Minecraft but more high-res, and start hanging your own work.

DIYP: How do 2D photographs translate into these 3D virtual spaces?

Bay: It’s completely new territory. In video games, background images are often overlooked because the focus is on moving elements. But in a gallery, every image matters. What surprised me in my first show was how people interacted, some even used the artwork as part of a parkour course! So we’ve had to adapt and think about how to guide people’s attention, how to create environments that support the artwork, and how to make the experience meaningful.

DIYP: Can you tell us about your recent collaboration with DIY Photography?

Bay: Yes, the theme was ‘touching grass’. It’s a tech meme. Basically, when people spend too much time online and get worked up, others tell them to “go touch grass,” meaning ‘calm down, go outside, get off the computer’. For us, it was about showing how virtual worlds can actually augment human experience rather than replace it.

Decentraland isn’t dystopian; it’s actually quite a joyous, playful space where people want genuine connection. Many even start as crypto speculators and end up becoming 3D artists after getting exposed to what’s possible.

DIYP: Finally, how can photographers and artists get involved?

Bay: The best first step is just to come and see. Art Week has loads of free workshops, the community is very welcoming, and you can explore without any special equipment, just a PC that can run games. If you miss the live events, you can still access the galleries and claim free wearables.

We’re also launching something called Art Community inside Decentraland. It’s like a mailing list, but in 3D. You can join in-world, get updates on upcoming art events, and connect with other artists.

Decentraland Art Week is running between September 24 – 27 2025. However, the galleries will be accessible to tour throughout the year. More details in the full interview below!

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