Milan, April 1, 2016: An official event of the XX1T Triennale International Exhibition. 21 Century. Design After Design, GAME VIDEO/ART. A SURVEY is the largest exhibition of game-based video installations ever staged in Italy. Transforming the spaces of IULM’s Contemporary Exhibition Hall into a visual landscape of made of pixels and polygons, GAME VIDEO/ART. A SURVEY features thirty international artists working with video games. Also known as machinima, these video installations explore themes related to simulation and representation, replay and re-enactment, architecture and urbanism, sex and race, gender and politics.
GAME VIDEO/ART. A SURVEY also showcases a selection of canvases and vibracolor prints by Greek-born artist Miltos Manetas who spearheaded the development of game-based video art with Miracle (1996), first shown at "Joint Ventures", an exhibition curated by Nicolas Bourriaud at Basilico Gallery in New York, and included in GAME VIDEO/ART. A SURVEY to inspire a new generation of video players.
Ranging from institutional critique to new media production, GAME VIDEO/ART. A SURVEY emphasizes the visual nature of digital gaming and its potential for creative expression, rather than mere escapism. By bringing together gaming technologies, experimental filmmaking, video and performance art, GAME VIDEO/ART. A SURVEY invites viewers to see a different side of play.
Although a recent development in contemporary art, machinima allows for a unique and differentiated experience from non-interactive media such as painting and sculpture. Moreover, machinima is, by definition, derivative and recombinant, suggesting a blurring of boundaries between content consumer and creator. Accordingly, the exhibition also explores issues related to copyright, creativity, appropriation, and resistance. Finally, the show title alludes to the concept of Game Art, that is, the use of gaming technologies and aesthetics to produce artistic experiences.
GAME VIDEO/ART. A SURVEY is curated by Matteo Bittanti and Vincenzo Trione with the collaboration of students of the the 2nd Year Program in Arts, Markets, and Cultural Heritage at IULM under the guidance of Anna Luigia De Simone. An exhibition catalogue featuring critical contributions from art historians, critics, and scholars will be released in June 2016. Collateral events include screenings, panels, and performances, all taking place at IULM.
