Tour a sprawling gallery filled with instantly recognizable works of art, from the 'Hisstine Chapel' to the 'Mewna Lisa.'

HTC is partnering with famed Japanese artist Shu Yamamoto to bring his CAT ART series to life in VR for the first time. This includes such memorable pieces as The Kitty With the Pearl Earring and The Birth of Felinus.

For those unfamiliar with the influential designer, Yamamoto is most famous for his series of paintings depicting characters from famous works of art as adorable furry felines. Over the course of his iconic career, Yamamoto has completed over 500 cat-themed paintings, either on canvas, illustration boards, or Photoshop. Now the offbeat creator is bringing his one-of-a-kind series to VR in the form of the "Step into Cat Art" virtual exhibition.

Image Credit: HTC

Image Credit: HTC

Image Credit: HTC

Open to the public September 17th, 2021 to March 31st, 2022 via HTC's Viveport platform, the online gallery will feature well-renowned art such as the Mewna Lisa, Grande Odalisque, The Saucer, and more. Working alongside Yamamoto, the Viveport technical team was able to incorporate dynamic movement, audio, and various interactive elements into the above-mentioned pieces. Art comes to life as the characters portrayed in the art lick their paws, yawn heavily, and perform a variety of other cat-based activities.

Attendees can also immerse themselves in Yamamoto's captivating The Hisstine Chappel, which is composed of 124 different murals. Free-roam locomotion allows you the freedom to explore the virtual gallery at your leisure. "Step into Cat Art" is a cross-platform experience accessible on a number of devices, including mobile, PC, and VR.

Image Credit: HTC

Image Credit: HTC

"Viveport's mission is to enrich people culturally in VR across art, games, and video, and in doing so continue to grow and expand the robust VIVE Metaverse worldwide,"said Viveport President Joseph Lin in an official statement. "It's incredible seeing how immersion can completely change the way you experience a moment, whether that's appreciating artwork, watching a story, or playing a game."

Launching alongside the CAT ART virtual exhibit is the Viveport NFT store, which will feature support for fiat, ETH, and Matic payments. The company will mark the special occasion with the sale of CAT ART-themed NFT pieces.

Image Credit: HTC

"Our collaboration with Shu Yamamoto's CAT ART is a fantastic example of combining art with VR and NFTs in a continued expansion of the Metaverse," added Lin. "We hope to convey the unique cat perspective envisioned by Shu Yamamoto through this exhibition, and ultimately provide visitors with a unique and immersive viewing and shopping experience."

The "Step into Car Art" virtual exhibit opens to the public on September 17th. Tickets will be available for purchase beginning September 10th for $7.99. In the meantime, you can use the free cat Instagram filter to create your own CART ART featuring your own pets.

For more information visit here.