Exploring life within video games, Arcadia tracks a selection of artists who have picked up on the structures of video and computer games. These artists operate outside the highly commercialised game industry, using the metaphors and aesthetics of games to challenge contemporary culture.
Despite its title, Arcadia does not romanticise the impact of technology on our leisure time, or suggest that the virtual realm depicted within games is by any means ideal. Video and animated works are shown alongside sculpture, photography and painting, reinforcing the balance between the artificially created game environments and the real world.
The exhibition explores themes of human evolution and global economics. A key component of the show is a major installation by Danish collective Superflex, using the popular counter-terrorism video game Counterstrike. The work adds a socially conscious element to the game, and can be played by visitors to the exhibition.
Chinese artist Feng Meng Bo embraces video game environments as fantasy in his work Q3A. The game Quake 3 Arena is modified to include an animated version of the artist, dressed in cargo-pants and carrying a video camera, filming his own daring exploits.
Arcadia brings together artists from a range of international artists, and features a strong contingent of New Zealand artists, including Sean Kerr, Dan Arps, Warren Olds, et al and Hye Rim Lee.
The exhibition design also references game culture – viewers can chart their own experience as they walk through Arcadia. The merger of art and design is another important aspect of the exhibition, supported by a major catalogue designed by exhibiting artist Warren Olds, available from the Gallery's Art and Design Shop.
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