In this video piece, Martin Gabriel juxtaposes the spaces of videogames and real (that is, tangible) environments. In fact, he built a sculpture directly inspired by ludic architecture:
As he writes in his artist statement,
My work is mostly about accessibility of space. I am asking the viewer what and where are the boundaries of the space we live in. For better understanding I can give brief explanation with the example of the computer generated world (CGW). I can see there so many similarities with our reality even if the CGW is created by man there is always a space which is meant to be discovered and then space all around it, which is sort of necessity and is not intended to be discovered although they both must be there because one cannot exist without the other. I see a similar situation in our everyday reality, where the world created by us is a synonym to thoughts, ideas and rules, the world built by man such as cities, houses and apartments. (Martin Gabriel)
Gabriel also developed of sculptures and installations based on id Software's DOOM.
Consider, for instance, physical DOOM II (2013):
Martin Gabriel, physical DOOM II, mdf, 2013.
And Tower (2014), a set of box-like structures containing images of cacodemons on aluminum foil:
Martin Gabriel, Tower, mdf, 2014.
Videogames' aesthetics are clearly at play in Nobody Lives Here (2014)...
Martin Gabriel, Nobody Lives Here, mdf, 2014.
...And Corridor (2014):
Martin Gabriel, Corridor, mdf, 2014.
This is how the piece looks in a gallery space, by the way:
Corridor (left), installation view, no one gets angry, group show in Groningen, 2014
His paintings aslo feature several game themes and tropes. Consider, for instance, Video Game (2015)...
Martin Gabriel, Video Game, paper, acrylic and oil on canvas, 90 x 130, 2015.
...And Skull:
Martin Gabriel, Skull, oil on canvas, 50 x 50, 2015.
Born in Prague, Czech Republic in 1991, Gabriel graduated from the Royal academy of fine arts in The Hague in 2015.
LINK: Martin Gabriel
Submitted by Matteo Bittanti (all photos by Martin Gabriel)
