\n<\/p>\n
As I wandered by means of the exhibition Difference Machines: Technology and Identity in Contemporary Art<\/em><\/a>, my thoughts felt prefer it had been hit by a number of lightning strikes. This exhibition, presently at Chicago\u2019s Wrightwood 659 gallery, showcases the work of 17 artists who’ve been working in digital areas for many years, specializing in how the digital world has impacted our collective sense of identities, from race and gender to the surveillance state.<\/p>\n However what struck me have been the artists utilizing video video games of their work. For many years, debates have raged over the position of video video games in society: Are they art?<\/a> Are they harmful? In the meantime, artists have been utilizing video video games of their work. Some artists create precise video video games; others file movies inside a online game, creating films known as machinima.<\/p>\n Varied artists have staged creative interventions inside video games, and others nonetheless have used online game references of their artwork. After which there’s the entire style of fan art<\/a>. And naturally, there are video video games which are artwork themselves.<\/p>\n Nevertheless, it has taken the artwork institution a while to catch up. Tina Rivers Ryan, curator of the exhibition and the Buffalo AKG Art Museum<\/a>, explains by e mail that for digital artwork in addition to online game artwork, \u201cthe artwork world continues to wrestle with discovering the aesthetic or cultural worth (not to mention market worth) in digital artwork extra broadly.\u201d There are challenges with displaying online game artwork since \u201cit’s a must to think about questions that don\u2019t give you conventional art work: What\u2019s the suitable scale for the work? Ought to the expertise be particular person or collective, personal, or public?\u201d Ryan says.<\/p>\n Slowly however absolutely, some establishments are beginning to acknowledge the creative worth of video video games. Notably, the Museum of Modern Art<\/a> in New York has had not less than two exhibitions (together with the 2022-2023 exhibition Never Alone<\/em><\/a>) on video video games and started buying video games in its assortment in 2012, specializing in the design side. It has 36 video video games in its archives and is aiming to get 40.<\/p>\n So the jury is in. Video video games may be artwork. The higher query now could be how modern artists can and are utilizing video video games of their work.<\/p>\n In and Out of Your Consolation Zone<\/p>\n