GAMESCENES

EVENT: GROUP HUG (SEPTEMBER 26 - OCTOBER 20 2024, NEW YORK)

Concept art for Feral Metaverse by Connor Willumsen, courtesy of ONX Studio

Group Hug

curated by Julia Kaganskiy in partnership with Serpentine Arts Technologies and Rhizome

161 Water St, Floor 4 - Entrance on Water & John Street, New York

September 26 to October 20, 2024

Opening and Public Hours: To be announced

 

Group Hug is an ambitious exhibition that aims to redefine the boundaries of video game installations. Held in collaboration with Water Street Projects and curated by Julia Kaganskiy in partnership with Serpentine Arts Technologies and Rhizome, this exhibition transforms the London gallery space into a dynamic playground where visitors are invited to explore and engage with large-scale, site-specific works.

Group Hug challenges the conventions of individualistic gameplay by promoting radical collaboration. Through a selection of pioneering works by leading artists in the field, the exhibition foregrounds cooperative experiences where communication, shared discovery, and mutual reliance are essential for navigating unfamiliar worlds. Visitors will find themselves immersed in multi-sensory environments that blur the lines between player and participant, artist and audience.

The exhibition is a testament to our evolving curatorial model, which emphasizes collective curation and diverse perspectives. Alongside the installations, Group Hug will feature a series of public programs, set to be announced in early September, that further explore the themes of collaboration and community.

Featured artists: Theo Triantafyllidis, Danielle Brathwaite-Shirley, and Tale of Tales

Artworks

Still from Feral Metaverse courtesy of Theo Triantafyllidis and ONX Studio

Theo Triantafyllidis – Feral Metaverse Triantafyllidis’s Feral Metaverse drops players into a chaotic landscape where survival depends on disinhibition and cooperation. Breaking away from traditional gaming logic, the work invites participants to navigate a world that prioritizes collective action over competition. The installation, anchored by a custom-built medieval catapult, embodies the artist’s vision of a “feralized” society where synchronicity and shared experience take precedence. Feral Metaverse is curated for Group Hug by Julia Kaganskiy.

Theo Triantafyllidis (b. 1988, Athens) is an artist who blends digital and physical media to explore space and embodiment in hybrid realities. His work, characterized by awkward interactions and precarious physics, invites viewers into uncanny and poetic environments. Using monster theory, Triantafyllidis delves into themes of isolation, sexuality, and violence, often incorporating computational humor and AI improvisation. He holds an MFA from UCLA and a Diploma of Architecture from the National Technical University of Athens. His work has been exhibited in institutions such as the House of Electronic Arts, Hammer Museum, and NRW Forum, and he has participated in events like the Athens Biennale, Sundance New Frontier, and the Venice Biennale.

Still from THE LACK: I KNEW YOUR VOICE BEFORE YOU SPOKE courtesy of Danielle Brathwaite-Shirley and ONX Studio

Danielle Brathwaite-Shirley – THE LACK: I KNEW YOUR VOICE BEFORE YOU SPOKE Brathwaite-Shirley’s THE LACK is a deeply personal exploration of Black Trans identity through the lens of a choose-your-own-adventure game. The installation incorporates performance elements, with bespoke dance mats serving as controllers and soundscapes generated by player interaction. In this space, the audience becomes a crucial part of the work, blurring the line between creator and participant. Curated by Serpentine Arts Technologies, THE LACK transforms the gallery into a site of active engagement.

Danielle Brathwaite-Shirley (b. 1995, London) is a Berlin/London-based artist working in animation, sound, performance, and video game development. Their practice creatively retells the stories of Black Trans people by blending lived experience with fiction. Brathwaite-Shirley's work has been featured in solo exhibitions and performances at venues including Fundació Joan Miró, LAS, Studio Voltaire, and SCAD, and in group exhibitions at institutions such as the Julia Stoschek Foundation and Barbican. They received a BA from the Slade School of Fine Art in 2019.

Still from The Endless Forest courtesy of Tale of Tales and ONX Studio

Tale of Tales – The Endless Forest In The Endless Forest, players inhabit the tranquil world of a multiplayer online game where they explore a vast forest as deer. Devoid of traditional goals or objectives, the game encourages peaceful interaction and exploration. This dreamlike environment, sustained by a dedicated community for nearly two decades, is curated for Group Hug by Rhizome.

Auriea studied sculpture at Parsons in New York, and Michael graphic design at Sint-Lucas in Ghent. They began their digital art careers with entropy8.com and zuper.com, meeting in 1999 through the hell.com artists collective. As the duo Entropy8Zuper!, they created notable net.art projects like Skinonskinonskin and The Godlove Museum, earning the SFMOMA Prize for Excellence in Online Art in 2000. Transitioning to video games as Tale of Tales, they released influential titles such as The Endless Forest, The Graveyard, and The Path. Their game Luxuria Superbia won the IGF Nuovo Prize in 2014, and they received Indiecade's Trailblazer award in 2018. Since 2015, Michael has focused on virtual reality and Auriea on digital sculpture. They relocated from Ghent to Rome in 2019 and married in 2024.

Exhibition Partners

Water Street Projects An interdisciplinary platform dedicated to amplifying creative voices across performance, visual arts, and more, Water Street Projects operates with a fluid and expansive approach that invokes the spirit of Cedric Price’s unrealized Fun Palace—a laboratory of fun and a university of the streets.

Julia Kaganskiy As a curator and cultural strategist, Julia Kaganskiy has been at the forefront of art, science, and technology since 2009. Her work explores the intersection of these fields through exhibitions and commissions that challenge and expand our understanding of contemporary art.

Serpentine Arts Technologies A leading force in exploring the impact of technology through art, Serpentine’s Arts Technologies program fosters innovation and supports projects that navigate the intersection of art, science, and technology. Through dedicated research labs and knowledge-sharing initiatives, the program nurtures new art ecologies.

Rhizome A pioneering organization in the digital art space, Rhizome has been integral to the development and preservation of digital art since its founding. With initiatives like the 7x7 art and technology program and a longstanding partnership with the New Museum, Rhizome continues to champion digital art for all.

LINK: Group Hug @ ONX Studio

LINK: Theo Triantafyllidis

LINK: Danielle Brathwaite-Shirley

LINK: Tale of Tales

EVENT: MACHINE LOVE: VIDEO GAME, AI AND CONTEMPORARY ART (FEBRUARY 13 - JUNE 8 2025, TOKYO)

Sato Ryotaro, Dummy Life #11, 2022, Inkjet print, 12.4 ｘ 14.8 cm

MACHINE LOVE: Video Game, AI and Contemporary Art

February 13 - June 8 2025

Mori Art Museum

6-10-1, 六本木ヒルズ 森タワー 52F, 六本木, JP 106-6150

Curated by Kataoka Mami, Martin Germann, Yahagi Manabu

press release

With the explosive growth of artificial intelligence (AI) and the integration of the virtual and real worlds, the latest cutting-edge technologies have quickly penetrated our daily lives. This tendency has become especially apparent since the COVID-19 pandemic, when many human activities shifted towards virtual space. Looking back, the progress of art and technology has run parallel to each other throughout the course of history, which is especially evident in the field of computer art and video art. While recent innovations in video game engines and AI offer unprecedented possibilities for artists, the advent of generative AI also has raised significant concerns. Such developments are now attracting considerable attention in various fields and industries, including the contemporary art world.

MACHINE LOVE introduces contemporary artworks that employ game engines, VR and AR, and other innovative technologies that have the capacity to extend human creative power, such as algorithms and generative AI. These works explore new aesthetics and image-making through the use of various data-sets that exist in the digital space, while demonstrating novel approaches to art making made possible by interactive networks of countless individuals. Other works examine how online avatars and characters can nurture new types of gender and racial identities that lie beyond the reach of social norms. By adopting these methods, artists delve into the most pressing challenges facing contemporary society, including the environmental crisis, historical interpretation, humanity, ethics, and diversity.

By exhibiting artworks jointly created by “machines” and artists, and offering immersive spatial experiences through large-scale installations, this exhibition provides a platform to contemplate the relationship between humankind and technology, which evokes emotions of love, empathy, elation, fear, and anxiety. Join us in a space where reality and virtual space overlap in order to envision better ways to live out an uncertain future.

Participating Artists: Kim Ayoung, Lu Yang, Sato Ryotaro, Jakob Kudsk Steensen, Adrián Villar Rojas, and others

Advisors: Hatanaka Minoru (Chief Curator, NTT InterCommunication Center [ICC]), Taniguchi Akihiko (Media Artist)

LINK: MACHINE LOVE: Video Game, AI and Contemporary Art

EVENT: DANIELLE BRATHWAITE-SHIRLEY’S THE SOUL STATION (JULY 11 - OCTOBER 13 2024, BERLIN)

Danielle Brathwaite-Shirley, THE SOUL STATION, 2024. Installation view at Halle am Berghain, Berlin. Commissioned by LAS Art Foundation. Courtesy the artist; LAS Art Foundation. Photo: Alwin Lay

Danielle Brathwaite-Shirley
THE SOUL STATION
July 12–October 13, 2024

Episode I, YOU CAN’T HIDE ANYTHING: July 12–September 8

Episode II, ARE YOU SOULLESS, TOO?: September 12–October 13

Halle am Berghain
Am Wriezener bhf
Am Wriezener Bahnhof
10243 Berlin
Germany

Danielle Brathwaite-Shirley’s new game-based installation, THE SOUL STATION, has opened in Berlin and will remain open until October, offering visitors an immersive experience in a fictional universe. Through interactive choices, visitors confront biases and exclusions, gaining insights into an archive of voices from the past and present.

Presented by LAS Art Foundation, this is Brathwaite-Shirley’s first solo exhibition in Germany, unfolding in two episodes: YOU CAN’T HIDE ANYTHING (July 12–September 8) and ARE YOU SOULLESS, TOO? (September 12–October 13, 2024). The installation debuted on July 11 at Halle am Berghain, attracting over 1,000 visitors within three hours.

Danielle Brathwaite-Shirley, THE SOUL STATION, 2024. Installation view at Halle am Berghain, Berlin. Commissioned by LAS Art Foundation. Courtesy the artist; LAS Art Foundation. Photo: Alwin Lay

THE SOUL STATION includes a newly commissioned, two-part work and a retrospective of the artist’s video games from the past five years. The new game, played collaboratively in an arena-like setting, guides visitors through the exhibition, challenging them to reflect on their experiences and biases.

In YOU CAN’T HIDE ANYTHING, the first episode, a parallel society’s cataclysmic event leads to a revolution against globalized slavery. The second episode, ARE YOU SOULLESS, TOO?, introduces new characters migrating between universes and offers a behind-the-scenes look at the people and conversations that shaped the first episode.

Danielle Brathwaite-Shirley, THE SOUL STATION, 2024. Installation view at Halle am Berghain, Berlin. Commissioned by LAS Art Foundation. Courtesy the artist; LAS Art Foundation. Photo: Alwin Lay

Visitors receive a SOUL CODE to track their progress and choices throughout the games. SOUL STATIONS, similar to video game checkpoints, are available throughout the exhibition and online, facilitating a personal and introspective journey. Visitors answer questions and decipher symbols, as suggested by the artist, to cleanse their souls.

THE SOUL STATION showcases a comprehensive survey of Brathwaite-Shirley’s work, featuring key pieces from the past five years. The selection varies with each episode, highlighting the artist’s blend of lived experience and speculative fiction to reveal overlooked histories. Notable works include INTO THE STORM (2021), NO SPACE FOR REDEMPTION (2024), and I CAN’T FOLLOW YOU ANYMORE (2023).

Co-curated by Boris Magrini, Senior Curator at LAS Art Foundation, and Guest Curator Mawena Yehouessi, with Assistant Curator Agnessa Schmudke, THE SOUL STATION is accompanied by a public program of workshops and performances at Halle am Berghain.

LINK: Danielle Brathwaite-Shirley

LINK: THE SOUL STATION

EVENT: ALICE BUCKNELL (AUGUST 2 - 15 2024, ONLINE)

The Alluvials

digital video (1920 x 1080), color, sound, 38’ 05”, 2023, United States of America

Created by Alice Bucknell

 

The Alluvials is a seven-chapter video work — and video game — that delves into the politics of drought and water scarcity in a near-future Los Angeles. The narrative unfolds through diverse more-than-human perspectives, including the Los Angeles River, wildfire, a 400-year-old sycamore named El Aliso, and the ghost of the city’s famed mountain lion, P-22. Combining history, futurism, and speculative fiction, The Alluvials examines the complex interplay between engineered ecology, disaster capitalism, and nonhuman systems shaping Los Angeles. The story is presented across various media, featuring custom-built game environments, modified versions of the fictional city Los Santos from Rockstar Games’ Grand Theft Auto V, 3D scans of LA captured by drone, AI-generated “hallucinations” merging historical images of the River with future development proposals, and visualizations of GIS and pollution data of the LA River. The project acknowledges Indigenous unique relationships to water, particularly those of the Tongva People of the Greater Los Angeles Basin, emphasizing that nature is an intelligent system and a technology in its own right.

Alice Bucknell is a North American artist and writer based in Los Angeles. Working with game engines and speculative fiction strategies, their work explores interconnections of architecture, ecology, magic, and nonhuman and machine intelligence.In 2021, they founded New Mystics, a digital platform merging magic and technology. In 2022, they organized New Worlds, an experimental event series expanding on emergent worlding practices, held at Somerset House Studios in London. They have presented their work internationally, with recent exhibitions at Ars Electronica with transmediale, Arcade Seoul, the 18th Venice Architecture Biennale, Honor Fraser Gallery in Los Angeles, Gray Area in San Francisco, Basement Roma in Rome, Singapore Art Museum, The Museum of Modern Art in Fort Worth, Texas, Fiber Festival in the Netherlands, and Serpentine in London. Their writing appears often in publications including ArtReview, Flash Art, Frieze, e-flux Architecture, and the Harvard Design Magazine. They are currently faculty at SCI-Arc in Los Angeles and an Associate Lecturer in MA Narrative Environments at University of the Arts London. In 2023, they are a Supercollider SciArt Ambassador in Los Angeles, a resident of Somerset House Studios in London, and a resident at transmediale in Berlin. Bucknell studied Anthropology at the University of Chicago and Critical Practice at the Royal College of Art in London.

WATCH NOW

GAME ART: ED FORNELIES’S INSIDE OUT 2 (2024)

Installation View, Ed Fornieles, Inside Out 2, Carlos/Ishikawa, 2024
Image © Ed Fornieles, courtesy Carlos/Ishikawa, London. Photographer: Damian Griffiths

Installation View, Ed Fornieles, Inside Out 2, Carlos/Ishikawa, 2024
Image © Ed Fornieles, courtesy Carlos/Ishikawa, London. Photographer: Damian Griffiths

Recently presented at Carlos/Ishikawa gallery in London between May 23 – July 6, 2024, Ed Fornieles’s Inside Out 2 is an ambitious exploration of the intersections between corporate structures, personal relationships, and digital interactions, presented through a richly narrative-driven multimedia approach. This project extends Fornieles’ continuous investigation into the dynamics of digital and social spheres, previously exemplified in his Dorm Daze project, where participants inhabited fictional Facebook profiles, blurring the lines between personal and fictional identities.

Central to Inside Out 2 is the conceptualization of a company, Fini, as both a work of art and a corporate entity, challenging traditional notions by positioning the company as a medium that generates value through engagement rather than tangible products. The narrative intricately weaves the concept of friendship into corporate dynamics, prompting profound questions about the nature of relationships within commercial and digital contexts. Drawing on the Brazilian Anthropophagy movement, which advocated for the cultural digestion and transformation of colonial influences, Fornieles illustrates how digital and corporate cultures can be absorbed and reinterpreted.

Installation View, Ed Fornieles, Inside Out 2, Carlos/Ishikawa, 2024
Image © Ed Fornieles, courtesy Carlos/Ishikawa, London. Photographer: Damian Griffiths

The gallery space, referred to as The Zone, acts as a transformative environment where objects and concepts are recontextualized, allowing viewers to engage in a suspension of disbelief. Fornieles provocatively suggests that shared hallucinations, or mutual agreements on perceived realities, form the basis of our understanding of the world, thereby challenging the stability of reality itself. The project employs a range of narrative techniques, from cute aesthetics to speculative fiction and historical revisionism, creating a multilayered experience that defies conventional boundaries between fiction and reality.

Installation View, Ed Fornieles, Inside Out 2, Carlos/Ishikawa, 2024
Image © Ed Fornieles, courtesy Carlos/Ishikawa, London. Photographer: Damian Griffiths

Envisioning future expansions, Fornieles introduces the Oom app, positioned at the intersection of messaging and mobile gaming, and a movie that combines live-action with animation, further extending the project  "narrative universe. By discussing the role of venture capital in the growth of new companies, Fornieles draws intriguing parallels between the ambitions of artists and venture capitalists in their shared pursuit of world-building, highlighting the economic and philosophical challenges of sustaining such an innovative endeavor. Inside Out 2 is a complex work that invites viewers to interrogate contemporary culture through the lenses of corporate structures, digital identities, and personal relationships, urging a reconsideration of how we engage with the so-called “digital”.

LINK: Ed Fornieles’s Inside Out 2

GAME ART: OLIVERY PAYNE’S CRUST SHMUP (2023)

Safe Crackers Entertainment, CRUST SHMUP, 2023
Custom arcade cabinet on cinder blocks with customized controller and stool
Software: CRUSH SHMUP 2023, 8 minutes, made in Unity
30 ¾ x 31 ½ x 20 ½ in / 78.11 x 80 x 52.07 cm

Oliver Payne latest creation is titled CRUST SHMUP, an innovative video game, housed within a modified amp cabinet complete with a custom controller and drum stool, inviting gallery visitors to experience a unique blend of arcade gameplay and crust punk aesthetics. CRUST SHMUP draws inspiration from Napalm Death’s seminal album SCUM (1987), translating its anarchic spirit into a pixelated, black-and-white world reminiscent of gritty gig posters. Players navigate through relentless waves of enemies using missiles shaped like anarchy symbols, set against a backdrop of looping, bleak landscapes. Unlike traditional shoot 'em up games, CRUST SHMUP subverts norms by rewarding players for pacifism—offering extra lives for evading rather than engaging enemies. This inversion challenges players to navigate levels through evasion and stealth, reflecting themes of resistance and nihilism prominent in crust punk culture. The work was presented at Overduin & Co gallery in Los Angeles between May 11 – June 8, 2024. The exhibition featured collaborative artworks by Safe Crackers Entertainment, including silkscreens and banners, alongside individual pieces by Oliver Payne and Brennan Stalford. A live performance of the game’s intense sound, by Scott Eastwood and Kern Haug accompanied the exhibition’s opening.

Oliver Payne (b. 1977, London) lives and works in Los Angeles, CA. He received his BFA from Kingston University of Fine Art in London. Solo exhibitions have been organized by Nanzuka Underground in Tokyo, Meredith Rosen Gallery in New York, Gavin Brown’s Enterprise in New York, Herald St in London, Frederico Vavassori in Milan, Aishonanzuka in Hong Kong, and 356 Mission in Los Angeles. Payne’s work has been exhibited internationally at the Serpentine Gallery in London, the Kunsthalle Zurich, The National Museum of Contemporary Art in Oslo, MoMA PS1 in New York, the Institute of Contemporary Art in London, and the Museum of Modern Art in New York. Payne’s work is included in the permanent collections of the Tate Britain in London, the Museum of Modern Art in New York, Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris, and The National Museum of Contemporary Art in Oslo. Payne is also the publisher of Safe Crackers fanzine, and organizer of a series of performances titled, "Chill Out" in which he requires all mobile phone and internet systems to be turned off in order to allow the public to immerse in a listening session for “Chill Out,” the concept album by late-80s British house band KLF. The last iteration of “Chill Out” was hosted by the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York.

LINK: CRUST SHMUP (all images courtesy of Overdoing & CO)

EVENT: LIST PROJECTS 30: JEREMY COUILLARD (JULY 18 - OCTOBER 6 2024, CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSSETS)

Jeremy Couillard, Zede’s Dream, 2023 (still). Video game simulation, color, sound, loop; run time variable. Courtesy the artist

List Projects 30: Jeremy Couillard
July 18–October 6, 2024

curated by Natalie Bell, with assistance from Zach Ngin

MIT List Visual Arts Center

20 Ames Street
Bakalar Gallery, Building E15
Cambridge, MA 02139

The MIT List Visual Arts Center is showcasing Jeremy Couillard’s first solo museum exhibition, List Projects 30: Jeremy Couillard, from July 18 to October 6, 2024. Couillard, originally trained as a painter and self-taught coder and digital artist, integrates various forms like playable games, web projects, and video installations in his work. His distinctive style features imaginative character design and humorous, absurd scenarios.

The exhibition highlights an installation of his latest game, Escape from Lavender Island (2023), set in a dystopian city with whimsical elements and social critique inspired by anthropologist David Graeber. Visitors can engage with Couillard's newest game, navigating through the surreal and dystopian cityscape. The game’s neighborhoods, such as the Corporate University Prison Town and Clown Crypt Renovation Zone, are filled with hidden quests and enigmatic public sculptures, providing an engaging and layered narrative experience.

Visitors can also play the game and view a video simulation, Zede’s Dream, featuring music and narrative vignettes. This continually generated video simulation offers a guided tour through Lavender Island, accompanied by an evocative soundtrack and narrated vignettes. This piece provides a cinematic glimpse into the lives of the game's characters, blending elements of reality and fantasy.

List Projects 30: Jeremy Couillard also includes new acrylic paintings linked to the digital art within the game. Couillard’s new series of paintings utilize a process of masking and layering to create intricate designs. These paintings, derived from digital assets within the game, bridge the gap between digital and physical media, offering a tangible connection to the virtual world of Lavender Island. The exhibition features wooden sculptures and design elements that bring the digital flora and fantastical objects from the game into the physical space of the gallery. Notable pieces include wooden sculptures of digitally rendered flowers and a giant neon sweater reading “Depression,” providing a poignant commentary on modern life.

Jeremy Couillard, Zede’s Dream, 2023 (still). Video game simulation, color, sound, loop; run time variable. Courtesy the artist

The exhibition is curated by Natalie Bell, with assistance from Zach Ngin, who have carefully selected and arranged Couillard’s works to create a cohesive and immersive narrative. The curation emphasizes the thematic elements of Couillard's work, such as the critique of societal norms and the exploration of alternative realities.

Jeremy Couillard, Zede’s Dream, 2023 (still). Video game simulation, color, sound, loop; run time variable. Courtesy the artist

The MIT List Visual Arts Center has planned a series of events and programs to complement the exhibition. These include artist talks, interactive workshops, and guided tours, aiming to engage the public and provide deeper insights into Couillard's creative process and the themes explored in his work. For a full list of events and programs, please visit this page

Jeremy Couillard, Zede’s Dream, 2023 (still). Video game simulation, color, sound, loop; run time variable. Courtesy the artist

The exhibition is supported by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the Council for the Arts at MIT, and the Mass Cultural Council, among other generous donors. The backing of these institutions underscores the cultural and educational significance of Couillard’s work, and their support has been instrumental in bringing this innovative exhibition to life.

Jeremy Couillard, born in Livonia, Michigan in 1980 and based in New York, has exhibited at notable venues like Denny Gallery, Times Square Midnight Moment, and the Rotterdam Film Festival. He holds an MFA in Painting from Columbia University and teaches New Media at LaGuardia Community College in Queens. His achievements in the gaming world include multiple award nominations. HIS work bridges the gap between digital art and traditional media, reflecting his versatility and innovative approach. His interest in blending physical and virtual realities is evident in his previous projects, which often involve interactive elements that challenge the viewer's perception of reality. Couillard's work is also influenced by his exploration of speculative fiction and surrealism, creating worlds that are both bizarre and thought-provoking. His use of humor and satire allows him to address serious themes such as consumerism, corporate control, and existential dilemmas in an engaging manner. His teaching role at LaGuardia Community College enables him to inspire a new generation of artists in the field of new media, contributing to the evolving discourse on digital art and its implications. Couillard's ability to merge art with gaming has positioned him as a unique figure in contemporary art, where his exhibitions continue to draw attention from both art enthusiasts and gamers alike.

All images and videos in this page courtesy the Artist

LINK: List Projects 30: Jeremy Couillard

LINK: Jeremy Couillard

GAME ART: MAK2'S ART SURVIVORS (2024)

Mak2, Art Survivors (2024). FPS action video games, edition of 3 + 1 AP. Dimension variable. © Mak2. Courtesy DE SARTHE, Hong Kong.

Art Survivors (2024), a new artistic first-person shooter game developed by Mak2, transports players into the gripping setting of a fictional art fair, perhaps the ultimate theater of war. The game begins with a familiar artistic milieu, showcasing the artist’s own AI-generated artworks. But the serene atmosphere quickly spirals into chaos as all the non-player characters within the game transform into feral zombies. In this high-stakes environment, players are thrust into a survival scenario where they must navigate through the dystopian art fair, which has now turned into a complex maze, to combat and eliminate the infected attendees. Dressed in business casual attire, these zombies add a surreal contrast to the harrowing tasks players face. As the living dead advance, the game cleverly intertwines hysterical gameplay with deep narrative elements, making the experience as intellectually stimulating as it is exhilarating. Art Survivors cleverly juxtaposes the calm, elitist, sophisticated world of art fairs with the intense, frantic nature of your average zombie apocalypse. The game employs this scenario as a satirical exaggeration to explore and critique the often-unseen competitive dynamics within the art community and belongs to a long tradition of institutional critique through video game means. Art Survivors reflects on themes of hierarchy, competition, trauma, and strategic thinking, all cleverly wrapped in the guise of an art fair turned survival battleground: the battle royale equivalent of an art fair. The work is currently on display in the context of the aptly titled show Art Survivors (May 4 - June 22 2024) at De Sarthe art gallery in Hong Kong.

Art Survivors, Mak2.2024 installation shots ©  Courtesy DE SARTHE, Hong Kong.

Mak2 (b. 1989, Hong Kong) is a multidisciplinary conceptual artist whose oeuvre addresses contemporary issues through an exploration of philosophy, art history, cultural shifts, socio-political changes, the internet, and emerging technologies. Her artistic expressions, characterized by a blend of humor and keen inquiry, span various mediums including installations, paintings, drawings, video works, YouTube videos, stand-up comedy routines, and Instagram filters. Mak2’s art has gained international recognition, with exhibitions across various prestigious venues including the Shanghai K11 Art Mall, Beijing Inside-Out Art Museum, X Museum in Beijing, de Sarthe in Hong Kong, and the Pedro Cera Gallery in Lisbon. Her works have also been showcased in significant exhibitions such as Mirage or Reality in Shanghai, The Principle of Hope in Beijing, and at cultural institutions like Whitechapel Gallery in London and the CAFA Art Museum in Beijing. Mak2 lives and works in Hong Kong.

LINK: Art Survivors at De Sarthe

LINK: Mak2

EVENT: CHOOSE YOUR PLAYER. GAME WORLDS FROM DICE TO PIXEL (MAY 17 2024 - APRIL 27 2025, FRIEDRICHSHAFEN, GERMANY)

Choose your Player
LuYang, Arcade Liverpool, FACT Liverpool, 2023 Installation View
© LuYang, Foto / Photo: Rob Battersby

Choose your Player. Game Worlds from Dice to Pixel

17.05.2024 – 27.04.2025

Opening: Thursday, 16.5.2024, 6 pm, free admission

Zeppelin Museum Friedrichshafen

Seestraße 22, 88045 Friedrichshafen, Germany

 

The exhibition Choose Your Player: Game Worlds from Dice to Pixel at the Zeppelin Museum Friedrichshafen in Germany, running from May 17, 2024, to April 27, 2025, focuses on the multifaceted role of games as a cultural and artistic medium. This exhibit showcases the evolution of gaming from simple escapism to a significant force in shaping future societies and emerging communities. By adopting the persona of one of five unique characters, visitors can deeply engage with the gaming world.

The showcase underscores the diversity of human gaming behavior, enhanced by rapid advancements in technology that continually redefine the ways we play. From traditional board and dice games to cutting-edge computer, console, and virtual reality games, the exhibition provides a comprehensive view of the cultural significance of gaming. It examines the narratives and mechanics embedded within games and their reciprocal influence on society. The exhibition also explores the artistic dimensions of gaming, featuring immersive artworks that entertain, critique, and expand viewpoints.

Specifically, the exhibition focuses on four thematic areas, each represented by a major art installation:

• Playgrounds: This segment illustrates how games serve as a versatile platform for experimenting with various skills and perspectives. It encourages visitors to challenge conventional views on identity, nationality, and gender, prompting a reevaluation of human existence. Installation: LuYang - LuYang NetiNeti Arcade

• Power Games: Highlighting the profound social and political commentary within games, this section examines their impact on historical perceptions and the reinforcement or subversion of stereotypes. Games are shown as mirrors and molders of power dynamics, often aligning with or questioning mainstream narratives. Installation: Larry Achiampong - Mama’s Bootleg Fight Club

• Expanded Horizons: Exploration remains a central theme and a pivotal game mechanic across numerous video game genres, with survival games often emphasizing endurance within perilous settings. In these narratives, airships frequently appear as a vital resource for navigating apocalyptic landscapes. Installation: Afrah Shafiq - Where Do the Ants Go?

• New Communities: Beyond mere gameplay, certain video games transform into vibrant hubs for creativity, social gatherings, and even entrepreneurial ventures. These platforms foster innovative ideas about the future and alternative modalities for living and community engagement. Installation: Keiken - Morphogenic Angels: Chapter 1 – Omoiyari

Choose your Player
Keiken, Morphogenic Angels, 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa, 2023
Installation View
© Keiken

These segments of the exhibition illuminate how video games transcend entertainment, acting as catalysts for cultural reflection and evolution. Each installation not only enhances the thematic exploration but also invites deeper interaction and contemplation from visitors.

LINK: CHOOSE YOUR PLAYER

EVENT: RADICAL PLAYGROUNDS: FROM COMPETITION TO COLLABORATION (APRIL 27 - JULY 14 2024, BERLIN)

Céline Condorelli, Play for Today, installation view, École de la Porte d’Eau, 2022. Photograph by Caroline Douau © FRAC Grand Large

Berliner Festspiele

April 27 - July 14 2024

Hours: Wednesday–Monday 11am–7pm,
Saturday–Sunday 10am–7pm

Gropius Bau
Niederkirchnerstraße 7
10963 Berlin
Germany

Curated by Joanna Warsza and Benjamin Foerster-Baldenius

Public space is also a relation between strangers. A place that not only unites, but also reveals what divides us. City playgrounds are particularly significant public realms because it is here that the tension between rules and freedom, the familiar and the unknown, borders and transgression, the present and the future, risk and security are constantly negotiated.

Massimo Furlan, A Reenactment of the 1974 East Germany West – Germany World Cup Match © Sandra Singh

Featured artists

Edgar Calel, Alice Chauchat, Céline Condorelli, Massimo Furlan, Florentina Holzinger, Ingela Ihrman, Martin Kaltwasser, Agnieszka Kurant, Joar Nango, Vitjitua Ndjiharine, The Playground Project, Tomás Saraceno, Mariana Telleria, The School of Mutants, Irad Verkron, Raul Walch

Program

While many exhibitions are considered finished upon opening, Radical Playgrounds challenges this notion, embarking on a journey together with architects, artists, mediators, researchers, neighbors and visitors to transform and expand the art parcours with its  overarching program starting at the end of April. Embracing the motto “From Competition to Collaboration”, Radical Playgrounds invites everybody to convert the former parking lot of the Gropius Bau into a vibrant public space. Through a series of workshops, talks and guided tours, participants will build real and imaginary bridges together, invent games and embody collaborations. In weekly discussions with international guests, the on-site playable installations will be contextualized, and the diverse meanings of play and its socio-political implications will be explored. The program poses questions: How does Radical Playgrounds sound, speak, feel, smell and taste? What can practice and opportunity spaces for coexistence and collaborative interaction between humans and nature look like? How can spatial infrastructure be made more inclusive, social and equitable? The public program is an invitation to play, but also a platform for contemplation that strengthens community bonds, especially right now, and creates opportunities to deepen existing neighborly relationships.

LINK: Radical Playgrounds: From Competition to Collaboration