Exhibition

Now in Digital Art:
Game Room

Exhibition
Now in Digital Art: Game Room

Now In Digital Art: Game Room

Curators:

Güven Çatak, Zeynep Arınç

Artists:

Amanita Design, BugLAB, Eddo Stern, Emi Kusano, Jon Haddock, Ken Wong, Kristin Lucas, Murat Kalkavan, Ouchhh, Petra Szeman, Total Refusal, Ucla Game Lab (Jenna Caravello, Vinny Roca, Zheng Fang), We Are Muesli

Everything starts with Spacewar!, developed by a group of engineers at MIT in 1962 to introduce a room-sized PDP-1 computer. This first video game, considered a laboratory experiment, garners significant attention in academic circles. Nolan Bushnell, the founder of Atari, played the game as a university student, which led to the discovery of video games' mass appeal and commercial potential, thus marking the initial steps of a giant industry.

Video games continue from one-dimensional representations in the 1960s to immersive virtual reality experiences enveloping players today. The gaming industry, which ended 2023 with a revenue of $184 billion, is both the naughty child and the largest of the creative industries. Türkiye is now a player in this arena, with our first "Unicorn" being a gaming company, representing our sector that receives the most investments and engages in exports. Relevant departments are continuously being opened in our universities. The gaming sector presents a world full of opportunities, especially for our young population.

Let's remember the consumption aspect. Everyone from ages 7 to 70 is now a gamer, whether playing on a computer, a smartphone, for leisure, or professionally. Nearly one-third of the world's population plays games, experiencing entirely new realities in parallel worlds. Everyone is now part of the gaming landscape, and it's not just about entertainment anymore. With educational games, games for social change, and gamified applications, gaming has touched almost every field with its culture, technology, and components. As gaming reshapes our world, it also forms a close relationship with the art world.

Game-based artworks inspired by the interaction between contemporary art and the world of video games have been exhibited in major art centers worldwide for many years and have found a place in both private and public collections. In these works, where the boundaries between art and games blur, various methods such as intervention, modification, and interpretation are applied alongside the usage of culture, aesthetics, and narratives of video games. By giving the audience control, video games provide a powerful experience in questioning socio-political issues, creating social awareness, and triggering emotions. In this sense, it's not just us diving into gaming worlds; gaming worlds also bring aspects of our reality into their realms.

You can play all the video games featured in this exhibition. The works vary greatly in form, aesthetics, and meaning. Some infiltrate platforms like photography, video, and painting with their languages, characters, and worlds, contributing to Game Art. Some are playable Art Games, while others are films produced directly with game tools (Machinima). Some serve as examples of art inspired by gaming culture.

Now in Digital Art: Game Room offers a curious look at the use of games in contemporary art from both perspectives: examples of game art and art games invite visitors to view video games from a different angle. Game Room is a meeting point where we explore different gaming worlds and return with various experiences like travelers. Besides commercially-driven projects distinguished by their interactive narratives and mechanics, we also encounter works where games become tools of satire and a series of metaphors. This selection is just a small cross-section. Games represent the most current form of interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary exploration. For now, the best we can do is to understand them better, which means playing more.

* You are invited to workshops, interviews and seminars organised by the participant curators within the exhibition. Click here to see the program of exhibition events.

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29 SEP MON
-
30 SEP TUE
3

18:00

Concert Ahmet Ali Arslan “Manastır”

All Saints Moda Church

18:30

Conversation Beni Bu Şarkılar Mahvetti: 35th Akbank Jazz Festival Special Edition

Bant Mag. Havuz / Bina

21:00

Concert Sista Sound presents: Özge Ürer, Deniz Taşar, Kamucan Yalçın & Ana Flávia

Bant Mag. Havuz / Bina

01 OCT WED
4

19:30

Concert Joel Lyssarides & Georgios Prokopiou

Arter

21:30

Concert Jazz Clubs Night: Berkay Sümbül Quintet

Bova

21:30

Concert Jazz Clubs Night: Yeşim Pekiner Quintet “Reflections on a Jade”

Nardis Jazz Club

21:30

Concert Jazz Clubs Night: Batu Şallıel and Istanbul Swing Cats

Pera 77

02 OCT THU
2

20:30

Concert Chief Adjuah

Zorlu PSM, Turkcell Platinum Stage

22:00

Concert Niechęć "Distaste"

Frankhan

03 OCT FRI
2

20:30

Concert Jazz Meets Rap

Alan Kadıköy

21:00

Concert All Night Jazz: Jitwam (DJ Set), Grup Ses (DJ Set)

Frankhan

04 OCT SAT
5

11:00

Children Workshop Wild Child Orchestra (Ages 9-12)

Akatlar Kültür Merkezi

13:00

Conversation Jazz Network Panel: Can the Media in Turkey Keep Up with the Rhythm of Jazz?

Salon İKSV

13:00

Workshop Keeping Track of the Musical Journey Workshop with Üretim Kaydı

Zuhal Müzik Kanyon

20:00

Concert Ali Perret “Octopus Band”

Akatlar Kültür Merkezi

21:30

Concert Enji

Salon İKSV

05 OCT SUN
3

11:00

Children Workshop Wild Child Orchestra (Ages 6-9)

Bağlarbaşı Cultural Center

15:00

Conversation Turning Points in Jazz History

Bağlarbaşı Cultural Center

19:30

Concert Önder Focan & Yavuz Darıdere "Legendary Hammond Trio" & Guests

Bağlarbaşı Cultural Center

06 OCT MON
-
07 OCT TUE
3

21:30

Concert Jazz Clubs Night: Ömercan Şakar "Project OM 4.0"

Nardis Jazz Club

21:30

Concert Jazz Clubs Night: Sinem İslamoğlu Group “Neo-Soul Vibes”

Pera 77

21:30

Concert Jazz Clubs Night: Dilan Balkay

Bova

08 OCT WED
2

20:30

Concert RYMDEN (Bugge Wesseltoft, Dan Berglund, Magnus Öström)

Zorlu PSM, Turkcell Platinum Stage

21:30

Concert Alfredo Rodriguez & Pedrito Martinez

Babylon

09 OCT THU
2

19:30

Concert Mehmet Uluğ Gecesi: Adam Rudolph's "Invisible Threads" feat. Okay Temiz & Hacı Tekbilek

Arter

21:30

Concert Jaubi

Salon İKSV

10 OCT FRI
2

20:30

Concert Eliane Elias

Zorlu PSM, Turkcell Platinum Stage

22:00

Concert Kinga Głyk

Frankhan

11 OCT SAT
4

13:00

Conversation fugamundi x Hakan Bıçakçı Jazz Listening Club: Jazz and Suspense in Cinema

Postane İstanbul

15:00

Conversation Literature and Jazz

Arter

20:30

Concert Bohren Und Der Club Of Gore

Borusan Music House

20:30

Concert The Brandee Younger Trio

Zorlu PSM, Turkcell Platinum Stage

12 OCT SUN
1

20:30

Concert Aaron Parks Little Big

Zorlu PSM, Turkcell Platinum Stage

13 OCT MON
1

20:00

Learning Program An Alternative View on Art and Children

Online Platform – Zoom

14 OCT TUE
1

20:00

Learning Program An Alternative View on Art and Children

Online Platform – Zoom

15 OCT WED
1

20:00

Learning Program An Alternative View on Art and Children

Online Platform – Zoom

16 OCT THU
1

20:00

Learning Program An Alternative View on Art and Children

Online Platform – Zoom

17 OCT FRI
-
18 OCT SAT
-
19 OCT SUN
-

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