Game Art: Oliver Payne's Replica of bombed Game Boy playing Tetris (2016)

A replica of a Game Boy that is on display at the Nintendo museum in New York. The Game Boy belonged to a soldier in the first Gulf War and was retrieved from his barracks after a bombing. The Game Boy survived the explosion and still functioned perfectly. Tetris features seven interlocking geometric pieces. The game was invented by a Russian game designer, Alexey Pajitnov, in 1984 and initial licensing rights were owned by the Soviet Union. In 1989, the rights were sold to Nintendo in a landmark deal that symbolized the perestroika era and was endorsed by Gorbachev himself. A Japanese device, playing a Russian game, found in the Middle East, belonging to an American soldier. It was shown at "Seven Objects", an exhibition at Overduin & Co, Los Angeles, between November 4 and December 31 2016.

Oliver Payne (b. 1977, London) lives and works in Los Angeles, CA. He failed his BFA from Kingston University of Fine Art in London. Recent exhibitions have been organized at Gavin Brown’s Enterprise in New York, Herald St in London, Federico Vavassori in Milan, Nanzuka Underground in Tokyo, Aishonanzuka in Hong Kong, and 356 Mission in Los Angeles. In collaboration with Nick Relph, his work has been exhibited internationally at the Serpentine Gallery in London, 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 received the Golden Lion award at the 43rd edition of the Venice Biennale for his work with Relph. Recently, Payne has hosted Chill Out performances in Los Angeles, Rome, and Gothenburg, Sweden. During the performances, participants are asked to turn off their mobile internet devices, relax, and listen to the album “Chill Out” by late-80s British band KLF. 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.