GAMESCENES

EVENT: ALAN BUTLER (SEPTEMBER 13 - 26 2024, ONLINE)

26 GASOLINE STATIONS

digital video (1920 x 1080), colour, sound, 4’ 23”, 2016, Ireland

created by Alan Butler

September 13 - 26 2024

Introduced by Matteo Bittanti

vral.org

 

26 GASOLINE STATIONS is a digital homage to Ed Ruscha’s iconic 1963 photobook, 26 Gasoline Stations. Ruscha’s work famously documented the mundane yet intriguing petrol stations along his route from Los Angeles to Oklahoma City. In contrast, Butler’s reinterpretation situates this journey within the virtual world of Grand Theft Auto V’s San Andreas, transforming the act of driving across America into a navigational exploration and documentation of digital spaces. Executed as both machinima and an ebook, the project captures each station from the confines of Butler’s studio in Ireland, emphasising the shift from physical to virtual mobility. This transformation not only pays tribute to Ruscha’s artistic exploration but also probes deeper into the evolving relationship between real and simulated environments, highlighting how digital media can extend and challenge traditional notions of landscape, place, and documentation in the age of video games.

Alan Butler is an artist who employs both traditional and new media to probe themes surrounding digital culture and its influence on shaping realities. His creative approach incorporates various materials and techniques from the annals of image–making, scrutinising the ideological and political implications of technologies like 3D graphics, video games, and cloud computing. His recent solo exhibitions include We are Now in the Mountains and They Are in Us at the Royal Hibernian Academy, Dublin (2023); The Need To Argue In The Master’s Language at Visual Carlow, Ireland (2018); and Down and Out in Los Santos at the Malmö Fotobiennal, Sweden (2017). He has also participated in notable group shows such as Open World: Video Games and Contemporary Art at The Akron Art Museum (2019) and Digital Citizen: The Precarious Subject at the BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art, UK (2019). A key moment in his career was representing Ireland at the Venice Architecture Biennale 2021 as part of the collective ANNEX. His works are held in several collections including the Irish Museum of Modern Art, the Office of Public Works, Ireland, The Arts Council of Ireland, and Trinity College Dublin.

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EVENT: FERNANDO PEREIRA GOMES (JULY 19 - AUGUST 1 2024, ONLINE)

Light Study

digital video (1280 x 720), color, sound, 28’ 32”, 2015, Brazil

created by Fernando Pereira Gomes

 

In Light Study, a male avatar from Grand Theft Auto V stands unwavering, gazing into the camera for nearly thirty minutes as weather and light conditions shift subtly yet continuously, painting the scene with an ever-changing palette. The camera remains mostly fixed, with slight movements adding to the contemplative stillness. Dominant wind sounds blend with ambient city noises, creating an immersive backdrop. The artist discovered this scene by accident when the game idled into screen-saver mode. He noticed the light changing on the avatar’s face from morning to night and back. Fascinated by this passage of time, he recorded the scene, furthering his exploration of digital realms and their parallels with our experience of life and time.

Fernando Pereira Gomes was born in São Paulo, Brasil in 1993, currently living and working in Paonia, Colorado. After spending his teenage years in Europe, Gomes moved to New York where he earned his BFA in Photography from the School of Visual Arts (SVA). In New York, he created a body of street photography depicting life in the city, seeking moments of stillness and poetry within the ever buzzing metropolis. In 2014, his groundbreaking in-game photography series Procedural Generation garnered international attention, both in print and online, culminating in a solo exhibition curated by Alexandra Ungern-Sternberg at Ateliê Alê in São Paulo, Brazil, titled Geração Processual. Additionally, selected images were featured in the group exhibition Transition at the Y Gallery in Minsk, Belarus, also in 2014. Gomes’s work has been presented at prominent venues such as the Noorderlicht Photofestival, Miami-Project, and Photo-LA.

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EVENT: FILE 2024: QUBIT AI (JULY 3 - AUGUST 25 2024, SÃO PAULO, BRAZIL)

FILE 2024: QUBIT AI

July 3 - August 25 2024

Centro Cultural FIESP

Avenida Paulista, 1313 Em frente a estação Trianon-Masp do Metrô

Bela Vista, São Paulo - SP, 01311-200, Brazil

 

In the heart of São Paulo, at the FIESP Cultural Center, the FILE 2024 festival unfurls a groundbreaking intersection of art and technology through its latest exhibition, QUBIT AI: Quantum Computing and Synthetic Artificial Intelligence. Curated by Ricardo Barreto and Paula Perissinotto, the exhibition, running from July 3rd to August 25th, promises to redefine the boundaries AI-inspired/co-generated digital art.

At the core of QUBIT AI is the revolutionary potential of quantum computing. This avant-garde technology, characterized by quantum superposition and entanglement, introduces novel creative avenues for artists. Barreto and Perissinotto articulate this paradigm shift in their curatorial text, emphasizing that quantum computing heralds an unprecedented frontier for both computer science and the arts.

For the first time, an art exhibition features a fully operational Quantum Computer. This cutting-edge inclusion is complemented by two pioneering Brazilian projects: Quantum Photography by Gabriela Barreto Lemos and Sounding Qubits by Eduardo Reck Miranda. Lemos’ work explores the visual possibilities inherent in quantum phenomena, while Miranda's installation translates the enigmatic behaviors of qubits into an auditory experience.

While quantum computing represents a nascent technological revolution, synthetic artificial intelligence is already reshaping artistic landscapes. Synthetic art, produced through AI in collaboration with human creativity, parallels the radical shifts of early modernity, offering new methods of creation across diverse media.

The exhibition's synthetic art section is divided into four thematic areas: Sound Synthetics, Aesthetic Synthetics, Cinematic Synthetics, and Architectural Synthetics. One of the standout installations, INTERATOR, is a three-dimensional cinema without VR glasses. This immersive experience allows viewers to navigate a space filled with simultaneous synthetic video projections, creating an interactive dialogue between the audience and the art.

Highlighted artists within Sound Synthetics include Dennis Schöneberg, whose works such as Bodydub and Transparenza blend visual and auditory stimuli to craft a multisensory narrative. The Spanish collective Iskarioto's dystopian AI films, paired with AI-generated music, further push the envelope of what synthetic art can achieve.

QUBIT AI’s interactive installations invite visitors to become active participants in the art. Klaus Obermaier's EGO uses the concept of alienation from psychoanalyst Jacques Lacan to distort the viewer's reflection, examining the tension between reality and symbolism. "The Forgettable Art Machine" places the visitor at the nexus of art and technology, turning each interaction into a personalized masterpiece.

Elizabeth Kolbert's influence is evident in Speculative Evolution, Prototype 1, an AI-driven simulator that allows visitors to create new species within a speculative ecosystem. Marc Vilanova’s Cascade immerses viewers in the hidden frequencies of waterfalls, transforming auditory experiences into a sensory exploration of environmental soundscapes.

Seph Li's Everything Before, Everything After transforms collective touch into a dynamic digital painting, capturing the fluidity of interaction in a visual symphony. Holly Herndon’s AI voice model, Holly+, stars in the music video Jolene, featuring Sam Rolfes, which showcases the capabilities of synthetic performers and their impact on contemporary music.

Complementing QUBIT AI, the FILE LED Show 2024 illuminates Fiesp's facade with innovative creations from USP Visual Arts Course and IED São Paulo students. Under the guidance of Dr. Silvia Laurentiz and Daniel Grizando, these collaborations highlight the interdisciplinary nature of design and the transformative power of university partnerships

QUBIT AI at FILE 2024 is not merely an exhibition; it is a visionary journey into the future of art. By integrating quantum computing and synthetic AI, it challenges and expands our understanding of creativity, inviting us to explore the uncharted territories where art and technology converge.

LINK: FILE 2024: QUIBIT AI

GAME ART: BEN WERTHER'S WHEN YOU CAN NO LONGER SPEAK, SING ME A SONG (MAY 30 - JULY 7 2024, NEW YORK)

Ben Werther’s debut exhibition at No Gallery (105 Henry St. #4 NYC NY), "When you can no longer speak, sing me a song," offers a compelling fusion of reality and fiction, underscored by a visual style that strikingly resembles video game aesthetics. At first glance, his photographs might be mistaken for screenshots from a war-themed video game, capturing the chaos and intensity of battle in hyper-realistic detail. However, these images are not derived from actual wars but from Werther’s participation in Military Simulation (MilSim) games, a form of Live Action Role Play (LARP) that eschews historical accuracy for a continuous creation driven by participants' fantasies and personal conceptions of violence.

Ben Werther, When you can no longer speak, sing me a song, installation shot. Image courtesy of the artist and NO GALLERY

Werther’s approach in these multi-day events over three years was dual: he was both a participant immersed in the simulated combat and a documentarian capturing the experience from a first-person perspective. This immersive practice blurs the lines between reality and fiction, drawing viewers into a world that is at once familiar and disorientingly fabricated. The result is a body of work that borrows from the visual language of objective reporting, mockumentary, and found footage horror films, challenging the viewer's perception of authenticity and narrative while evoking the graphic realism of video games.

Ben Werther, When you can no longer speak, sing me a song, installation shot. Image courtesy of the artist and NO GALLERY

MilSim, unlike traditional war reenactments bound by historical events, is a fluid and dynamic environment where the action is continuously redefined by the players. Werther’s photographs reflect this ever-changing landscape, capturing moments that feel both intensely real and wholly constructed, much like the dynamic scenarios found in video games. The images serve as a commentary on the nature of violence, memory, and media, exploring how personal and collective fantasies shape our understanding of conflict.

Ben Werther, “The hero, the narcissist”, 2023 – dye sublimation print on aluminum – edition of 3 – 11 x 8 x 1½ in. Image courtesy of the artist and nononogallery

Werther’s practice extends beyond photography. An impulsive collector from a young age, he frequently incorporates found materials into his work, recontextualizing them as social artifacts. This methodology is evident in "When you can no longer speak, sing me a song," where the photographs are not just images but artifacts of an imagined reality. They prompt viewers to question the nature of documentation and the role of personal narrative in constructing history.

Ben Werther – “Hyper-luxury”, 2023 – dye sublimation print on aluminum – edition of 3 – 7 x 11 x 1½ in. Image courtesy of the artist and nononogallery

Born in Nashville, Tennessee in 1998, Werther received his BFA from Cooper Union in 2020. His work is represented by Amanita, NYC, and this exhibition marks his first collaboration with No Gallery. Located in the Lower East Side, Manhattan, No Gallery was established in 2019 with a mission to push the boundaries of contemporary art programming. The gallery’s focus on nuanced explorations of social, personal, and cultural paradigms makes it a fitting venue for Werther’s complex and thought-provoking body of work.

LINK: Ben Werther's When you can no longer speak, sing me a song

PROJECT: THE PHOTOGRAPHER’S GUIDE TO LOS SANTOS

In this video, Marco De Mutiis and Matteo Bittanti introduce The Photographer's Guide to Los Santos, an online companion to the eponymous exhibition which took place in the context of Fotofestival Lenzburg between May 22 and June 23 2024 in Lenzburg, Switzerland.

The Photographer’s Guide to Los Santos is several things at once.

Firstly, it’s a curated archive and expanding resource center documenting the most significant artistic projects created with Grand Theft Auto V in the past decade.

Secondly, it an educational project, introducing students to virtual photography practices through a thematic overview and a series of hands-on exercises.

Thirdly, as an "how to guide", it provides a series of manuals intended to photography and media arts students interested in experimenting with the game.

This online resource currently collects nine projects created by international artists working with Grand Theft Auto V, that is, 2girls1comp, Alan Butler, Raphael Brunk, COLL.EO, Mattia Dagani Rio, Elizabeth Desintaputri, Claire Hentschker, Mascha Negri, and Georgie Roxby Smith, which were all featured in the very first themed exhibition.

The repository is expected to expand substantially over the next few months.

In this video, the curators discuss the nine notable works currently featured in the online archive.

Explore the The Photographer's Guide to Los Santos

EVENT: JEUX VIDÉO (JULY 6 - MARCH 30 2025, JARVILLE-LA MALGRANCE, FRANCE)

 

 

JEUX VIDEO

 

July 2024  30 Mars 2025

Le Féru des sciences

1 Avenue du Général de Gaulle

54140 Jarville-la-Malgrange, France

Step into a realm where pixels and imagination collide, where the touch of a button can unleash entire worlds and shape the very fabric of society. Whether you're nestled in the comfort of your bedroom, lounging in the living room, or on the move with your device snug in your pocket, video games are the threads that weave through our modern existence. Welcome to an immersive experience where you hold the reins. Choose your avatar, your digital embodiment, and chart a course through the intricate levels of this boundless universe. Whether you traverse alone, delving into the depths of solo gameplay, or join forces with fellow adventurers in multiplayer escapades, the journey is yours to shape. But this exhibition is more than a mere celebration of pixels and polygons. It's an exploration into the very essence of how video games shape our world. Delving deep into the technical intricacies that bring these virtual realms to life, we journey alongside a sociological perspective, unraveling the intricate tapestry of human interaction and societal impact. Prepare to be enthralled as we integrate not only games themselves but a myriad of mediums to showcase their influence. From captivating images and immersive videos to hands-on manipulations and tangible 3D objects, every facet of the gaming experience comes to life. And alongside these, discover works of art meticulously crafted by visionary artists like Mélanie Courtinat, Pascal Greco, and Robert Overweg, each piece a testament to the profound connection between art and gaming.

LINK: Jeux Video

Poster image © Morgan Fortems / Céline Kriebs

EVENT: IT'S NOT A GAME OVER, IT'S A FINISSAGE (JUNE 22 2024, LENZBURG, SWITZERLAND)

It's not a game over, it's a finissage

Saturday June 22 at 11.00 AM

Dammweg 19

4 & 5 Etage

5600 Lenzburg

Switzerland

Join Marco De Mutiis and Matteo Bittanti on Saturday, June 22 at 11 AM to celebrate the conclusion of The Photographer's Guide to Los Santos exhibition at Photofestival Lenzburg.

But don't mistake this for another run-of-the-mill, self-congratulatory gathering fueled by endless prosecco. The curators will unveil a groundbreaking platform dedicated to in-game photography, ensuring the exhibition lives on indefinitely. Like PFAs and other forever chemicals, we're here to stay.

LINK: The Photographer's Guide to Los Santos

EVENT: GETXOPHOTO 2024: PLAY (JUNE 6 - 20 2024, GETXO, THE BASQUE COUNTRY)

GETXOPHOTO 2024: PLAY

June 6 - 30 2024

Curated by María Ptqk

Getxo, Basque Country

map and schedules

Getxophoto International Image Festival takes place in Getxo, the Basque Country, close to Bilbao (15km). It is conceived to walk around the city and delve into the exhibitions in a few hours. Most of them are open-air installations and can be visited at any time. Getxophoto is a festival focused on the image that has been held in Getxo –Basque Country– since 2007, created and managed by Begihandi. An initiative in continuous search of being more participative, committed and sustainable. Getxophoto International Image Festival takes place in Getxo, the Basque Country, close to Bilbao (15km). It is conceived to walk around the city and delve into the exhibitions in a few hours. Most of them are open-air installations and can be visited at any time.

The theme of the 2024 edition curated by María Ptqk is PLAY:

If last year we called for a PAUSE, to stop and slow down, in this edition of Getxophoto we are encouraging you to do the opposite and press another button: this year, let’s hit PLAY.

But what does this mean? As well as being the most popular key on all our devices, the one we use to play images, music and all types of audio-visuals, play refers principally to the idea of starting up. It evokes stimulation and movement, impulse and liveliness. Just as we press play for our favourite songs, we press play in ourselves when we get going, when our spirits rise. And it is this idea of activation – pressing the button of life – that best corresponds to the original meaning of the word. Because to play is probably the most creative human occupation that exists.

Games are central to the history of humanity. However, for a long time they were considered an unimportant activity, a kind of back garden of culture; they have been confined to the world of childhood or identified only with toys. Nevertheless, playing is a complex activity that appears under different guises. Sports and competitions are games, as are betting and games of chance, and of course, all forms of entertainment, from video games to the performing arts because, in many languages, playing also means acting a part or playing an instrument.

Therefore, offering a single definition of playing is almost impossible. Some games impose many rules while others give way to the realm of total freedom; some are individual and others collective; some are pure fun and others are extremely serious. What is clear is that playing is a higher-order human practice, basic in learning, present in all areas of life and inseparable from the arts. When we say play, therefore, we refer to that immense universe of activations and, in particular, their impact on the imagination. (read more)

The artists line-up is impressive and features plenty of practitioners that wok with digital game and video game aesthetics, including Raquel Meyers, Lu Yang, Maxim Zmeyev and 2girls1comp

LINK: Getxophoto International Image Festival 2024

EVENT: ELIZABETH DESINTAPUTRI (MAY 24 - JUNE 6 2024, ONLINE)

Elizabeth Desintaputri

Ascending Men

digital video, color, sound, 1’ 44”, 2024, Indonesia

May 24 - June 6 2024

introduced by Matteo Bittanti

vral.org

 

In Ascending Men, Elizabeth Desintaputri exploits the virtual topography of Grand Theft Auto V as a canvas for digital experimentation, interweaving modding techniques with the capabilities of Rockstar Editor. This approach not only challenges the boundaries of the game’s inherent visual and technical capacities but also recontextualizes the medium itself as a tool for artistic creation. The work is a digital simulacrum, where the interface between player and creator blurs, reflecting on the fluidity and permeability of contemporary digital identities.

Elizabeth Desintaputri is a photographer and digital media artist born and raised in Indonesia, now based in Lucerne, Switzerland. Her work intricately weaves together cultural, political, and social themes, with a particular focus on social commentary. Desintaputri’s artistic inquiry extends into the capabilities and societal impacts of digital media, exploring and challenging the cultural and social aspects embedded within it. Currently, she is pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in Camera Arts at Hochschule Luzern (HSLU) in Design, Film und Kunst, with an expected graduation year of 2024. Prior to this, she completed a foundational course at Zürich Hochschule der Künste (ZHdK) in 2021, where she began to hone her skills in visual storytelling and digital arts.

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EVENT: THE PHOTOGRAPHER’S GUIDE TO LOS SANTOS (MAY 25 - JUNE 23 2024, LENZBURG, SWITZERLAND)

Mattia Dagani Rio, Los Santos, 2023

 

The Photographer’s Guide to Los Santos

May 25 - June 23 2024

Curated by Marco De Mutiis and Matteo Bittanti

address:
Dammweg 19
5600 Lenzburg
Switzerland

Opening hours:
Thu-Fri: 2-5 PM
Sat-Sun: 10 AM–5 PM

 

The Photographer’s Guide to Los Santos is an official exhibition of the Lenzburg Fotofestival in Lenzburg, Switzerland, and will be accessible from May 25 to June 23, 2024.

The Photographer’s Guide to Los Santos interrogates the ontological boundaries between physical and virtual spaces through an examination of photographic practices within the context of Rockstar North’s record-breaking 2013 video game Grand Theft Auto V. Situating Los Santos as a simulacrum of Los Angeles — the epicenter of global image production —, the exhibition explores the emergence of this fictional locale as a site of artistic experimentation and critical inquiry.

Curated by Marco De Mutiis, Digital Curator at the Fotomuseum Winterthur, and Matteo Bittanti, Associate Professor in Media Studies at IULM University in Milan, the exhibition explores the influence of video games — encompassing their aesthetics, logics, and tools — on photography, through the works by artists working at the intersection of post-photography, video games and art, including 2girls1comp, Raphael Brunk, Alan Butler, Mattia Dagani Rio, Elizabeth Desintaputri, Claire Hentschker, COLL.EO, and Georgie Roxby Smith.

Through meticulous in-game capture techniques and cunning manipulations of code, this cadre of international artists rupture the veneer of mimetic realism that shrouds Los Santos, opening fissures wherein the underlying algorithms and tacit ideological assumptions underpinning these contested spaces are hijacked. At once playful and critical, the featured projects — several of which have never been presented before — challenge the stability of categories such as the virtual, the real, and the hyperreal within an increasingly gamified culture.

The exhibition will be accompanied by an online resource and a database detailing significant post-photographic interventions within Grand Theft Auto V and, later on, a “how-to-photograph-the-virtual” critical guide.

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