2021 Prototype demo Levels & Bosses. Level One abridged. Walk-through. Unreal Engine 4.

Made possible, in part, with support from Oolite Arts’ Ellies Creator Awards in 2018 and and a Locust Projects Wavemaker Grant in 2018.

Leo Castañeda | Game Director, Set designer, virtual sculptor, painter

Lauren Monzón | Lead Producer

Jaime Soto Kure | Lead Programmer

Gwen Lofman | Original Programming

Victor Gamboa | Sound Designer

Victor Gamboa and Giovanni Caldas | Soundtrack

Thanks to the team at HEK for your incredible support in bringing the exhibition to life.

The international group exhibition Radical Gaming presents a selection of artists who investigate the structures, technologies and aesthetics of a global gaming industry. Their works are characterised by a particularly unconventional approach to employing the immersion and interaction inherent to video games, whose common narratives and stereotypes they subversively undermine. This new generation of artists use contemporary game programming technologies to create virtual and augmented reality experiences, immersive environments, interactive stories and multimedia installations. By appropriating the medium for their artistic practice, they create alternative perspectives on identity construction, gender issues and social change. Their refusal to abide by the commercial and recreational logic of video games, sets the scene for their progressive, uncompromising, and thought-provoking works.

Once considered no more than adolescent entertainment, video games have evolved to play a major role in the world’s cultural production and engage all ages and social classes. While the commercial production of video games has multiplied, so has the development of indie games, which offer innovative approaches both in terms of content and formal design. Artists have also been experimenting with the medium, and what is often described as 'Game art' has flourished for several decades now. Still today, many artists continue to produce works that make use of the mechanics of video games, with a peculiar artistic quality that makes them unique compared to both conventional and alternative video games.

The exhibition Radical Gaming presents recent works created by artists who employ video game media to point out a new trend that diverges as much from pioneer ‘Game art’ as it does from conventional video games. What distinguishes artists who involve video game practices today? Undoubtedly, the works assembled here are characterised by their intentional and reflective use of the interactivity and immersion inherent to video games. Their artists invite viewers to take an active part in the work’s actualisation, as opposed to other 'Game art' where the public experience the artists’ audio-visual installations and performances. Interactivity is not only a playful component but is conceived as an element that contributes to conveying the artist’s idea. These works certainly differ from traditional video games in their desire to provoke a speculative reflection rather than simply provide entertainment, as their themes often involve political and ecological issues and very often question stereotypes linked to social or gender affiliations. These content-related ambitions come close to those of indie video games, however, the exhibition’s art works are distinguished by a third feature: They are the result of the assimilation of recent artistic strategies, and above all influenced by the so-called post-digital aesthetics of the second decade of the 21st century. The artists from this new generation of 'Game art' not only make formal choices regarding the virtual universe of their works, but also regarding their contextual installation in the exhibition space. The experience of these digital works often permeates real space to accompany the viewer’s transition between the real and the virtual. Contrary to the use of conventional formal solutions that marked the beginnings of digital art, the artists of this new generation are able to develop a specific and personal language that remains consistent with the virtual world they have created.

While all the international artists participating in the exhibition Radical Gaming have today’s global digital culture in common, they represent a striking variety of cultural backgrounds. Many voices still consider gaming to be a purely recreational and escapist activity. However, the exhibition bears witness to the existence of a gaming production that thwarts this prejudice, as its artists counter both traditional narratives and aesthetic forms by inviting us to immerse ourselves in unusual, provocative and always compelling experiences. The exhibition will be accompanied by the publication of a comprehensive catalogue that documents the works on view and features current scientific contributions, including an essay on Game art by art historian Stefan Schwingeler, an essay on emotional aspects of the user experience by cognitive psychologist Elisa Mekler, and a text on game mechanics and immersion by designers and researchers Beat Suter and René Bauer. An extensive programme of events and educational activities is also planned.

Artists: Danielle Brathwaite-Shirley, Leo Castañeda, Sara Culmann, Debbie Ding, Keiken, Lawrence Lek, Mikhail Maksimov, Cassie McQuater, Sahej Rahal, Nicole Ruggiero, Jacolby Satterwhite, Eddo Stern, Theo Triantafyllidis, Miyö Van Stenis, Lu Yang Curated by Boris Magrini