Space Invaders – Art in the Computer Game Environment brings together art and gaming culture in Istanbul. The group exhibition shows the influence of video games on art and society both in playful and serious ways.
The playful and engaging exhibition ‘Space Invaders,’ previously displayed in England and the Netherlands, will be coming to Istanbul with an addition providing the pivoting point of the Kurye Video and Digital Arts Festival, to be held from Sept. 9 to 23 in Istanbul. The festival will also feature numerous artist talks, workshops, seminars and city walks.
Video and Digital Arts Festival Kurye will meet its spectators this year between September 9-23 at the YEM (The Building Information Center) building with its new edition dedicated to video games. Structured around a main exhibition called Space Invaders, the festival will also include screenings, seminars, workshops and live performances and examine the boundaries between real life and the world of video games.
Space Invaders is an international exhibition, which was previously held at FACT Liverpool and Netherlands Institute of Media Arts (NIMK) in Amsterdam. Bringing together numerous world renowned digital artists, the exhibition will be visiting Istanbul with the inclusion of new works as part of Kurye 11. The festival will also be featured in the parallel event programs of the Istanbul Biennial and the ISEA (International Symposium of Electronic Arts).
Video Games have always proved to be crucial reference points for popular culture starting with their initial phase of Space Invaders years. Today thanks to the ever developing computer and game console technologies, they continue to create ever more realistic worlds that capture an ever increasing number of players. The works of the local and international artists that make up the exhibition point to the boundaries between the real world and the world of video games, which are becoming more vague and unpredictable every day. Examining these two overlapping worlds, the exhibition will have us take an interactive, immersive and fun look at some serious questions of today’s world.
The exhibition will showcase works by numerous renowned artists including Anita Fontaine, Aram Bartholl, Brody Condon, Cao Fei, Captain Video, Dave Griffiths, David Kaplan & Eric Zimmerman, Dgmnd, Eddo Stern, Guillaume Raymond, Jasper De Beijer, Jodi, Julian Oliver, Ludic Society, Kelly Goeller, Mark Essen, Michael Johansson, Robin Arnott, Ubermorgen and Walter Langelaar and bring a considerable number of them to Istanbul for workshops and artist talks to share insight into their works with the support of the Consulate General of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
