In the past, there have been arguments whether video games qualify as art (the late film critic Roger Ebert has argued that they aren’t), but that hasn’t stopped a select few from celebrating it as such, whether it was through special exhibits at the Smithsonian, or online through a special Tumblr blog. Now, a new exhibit in the Netherlands has its own special exhibit that puts video games on full display.
The New Horizons exhibition, now available at the Fries Museum in Leeuwarden, shows the strength of what video games can do in terms of art, featuring a number of conceptual drawings and special pieces from a number of video games, featuring the work of various artists, including Jennifer Steinbeck, Harun Farocki and Cory Arcangel.
The exhibit, detailed by GamesIndustry International, allows visitors to see their favorite games in a whole new way, with works ranging from such popular releases as Portal and Battlefield 4 (where screenshot-based multiplayer map prints are on display) to more obscure favorites, like Sony’s artful Flower and the first-person adventure Mirror’s Edge.
New Horizons is a tie-in with the annual Next Gen Art Event, which will feature a number of discussions and workshops featuring leading developers, who will no doubt talk about the art style put to work in a number of their games. It’s featured a number of inclusions from such companies as Irrational Games (the creators of the Bioshock franchise), Oddworld Inhabitants and Capcom, among others. More popular companies include Naughty Dog, who contributed its “The Art of Naughty Dog” collection, and BioWare, who has plenty of art from its Mass Effect series on display.
“One thing we’ve always talked about at BioWare is how to get concept art and environmental art in a gallery,” said Derek Watts, art director for the Mass Effect series, speaking with GamesIndustry International.
Mike Lester, systems engineer for Thatgamecompany (the developers of the artful Flower), added that the students and the location really prompted him to take part in the event. “The Netherlands isn’t known for having a particularly large game dev community, and I like the idea of starting at the student level to help get it going.
“I liked being able to connect with the students,” he concluded. “I feel like they really heard my message.”
More details about the exhibit, and GamesIndustry‘s visit to it, can be found here.
