Mojang Specifications, Minecraft, game, 2010
Kristoffer Zetterstrand, "Pointer", 41x41cm. oil on canvas, 2008
Kristoffer Zetterstrand, "Thawing", 456x200cm. (diptych) Oil and vinyl on canvas, 2009
Kristoffer Zetterstrand, "Artist and Still Life", 2007
Kristoffer Zetterstrand, "The Game", 228x200cm. Oil on canvas, 2009
Kristoffer Zetterstrand, Minecraft painting, in progress, 2010
For the past year, Kristoffer Zetterstrand's, one of the most original and fascinating artists experimenting with digital games and their aesthetics, has been collaborating with Mojang Specifications, the Swedish indie company behind the 2010 internet sensation Minecraft. A sandbox PC game which allows players to remove, build and combine cubic blocks and create infinite worlds, Minecraft has managed to attract almost 1,6 million registered user with over 750.000 paying customers in its alpha iteration, released in Spring 2009 (a beta version will be released on December 20 2010). In February 2010, nineteen paintings created by Zetterstrand were reproduced and distributed in various locations of Minecraft. An original artistic treasure hunt for retro-inspired, pixellated artworks, if you will. Things became even more interesting a month ago, when the company launched a texture pack competition for Minecraft. The winner will be awarded with an original painting by Zetterstrand (see above. A copy of the same painting will be available in-the game as well. In short, a recursive, self-reflective, and uber-meta competition where the boundaries between "inspiration" and "inspired by" become blurred. The collaboration has benefited both parties. On November 24 2010, Zetterstrand posted this graph showing the dramatic increase of the numbers of visitors that "discovered" his paintings and dioramas after playing Minecraft.
Game Art, indeed.
link: Kristoffer Zetterstrand
link: Minecraft
related: From Painting to Pixel Art: Kristoffer Zetterstrand (2009)
All images courtesy of the artist
Submitted by Matteo Bittanti
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