An unsanctioned augmented reality exhibition titled “Encoded” has taken over the American Wing of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, featuring works by 17 North American Indigenous artists. The exhibition, organized by the nonprofit media lab Amplifier and co-curated by Tracy Rector, overlays digital artworks onto iconic paintings and sculptures, including a piece by Josué Riva that replaces Thomas Sully’s portrait of Queen Victoria with a moving image of Acosia Red Elk (Umatilla, Cayuse & Nez Perce) delivering the message “Be a Good Ancestor.” The intervention launched on Indigenous Peoples’ Day and Columbus Day, October 13, 2025, and runs through December 13, without the Met’s permission.
This intervention matters because it directly challenges the narratives embedded in Western art history, particularly in the Met’s American Wing, which has long excluded Indigenous perspectives. By using augmented reality to overlay contemporary Indigenous voices onto canonical works, the artists reclaim space and question who gets to write art history. The project highlights the colonial legacy of institutions like the Met and the ongoing erasure of Indigenous cultures, while also demonstrating how technology can be used for political and cultural resistance. The Met’s lack of response underscores the tension between established art institutions and grassroots, decolonial interventions.