Art • Game • Installation

September 7, 2010
Stacey Mason

Joining my discussion with Stephanie Boluk, Patrick LeMieux offers an exhibit on the art game, looking at how these games fit into a broader scope of art history.

The installation draws upon the work of Frank Stella, Andy Warhol, and Ad Reinhardt, among others. LeMieux has implement various interactive features that limit (thus highlighting) certain gameplay features and how they relate to the classic artist’s work.

By limiting or removing critical elements of classic gameplay (e.g. top-down mazes that repeat endlessly, side-scrolling shooters without enemies) and by adding the avatars and actions of post-expressionist artists (e.g. Stella, Warhol, Reinhardt, Rauschenberg, Klein) the severely repressive aspects of both gaming and artmaking emerge as infinite loops. Along with the games, an open source library of critical writing allows viewers to browse, pirate, remix, and input texts in the gallery. The main focus of this work is to address the act of interpretation within gaming, modernist painting, minimalist sculpture, and art criticism.
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