Courtesy of the Artist and Copperfield, London. Photo credits: Reece Straw.
Referencing the unlikely trinity of HBO, video games and Christianity, the exhibition title, which is drawn from dialogue within the video game-turned-series The Last of Us and ultimately from the Bible, encapsulates the references for Larry Achiampong’s second solo show at Copperfield. From computer games to church, the cast of faces represented there has almost always been white. The already problematic status quo that church is high culture and gaming is low or pop culture breaks down here when one references the other, but the exhibition brings real game play for visitors into direct dialogue with Achiampong’s collaged paintings.
“Video games have had huge influence on my art work and the reality of their sophistication and cultural referencing is ignored by the rest of the creative sphere. It’s time for video games to take their place as context in the gallery while I work on my ultimate goal; a playable artwork. At its core, gaming is storytelling, world building, fantasy, exploration and human culture in one.”
What is missing still, trailing behind even film and TV, is minority representation in games. What scant references there have been to people of color or the queer community, for example, have almost always been negative or derogatory with just one or two recent exceptions, like Bayonetta. Why though when nearly half of game players in the US alone are people of color? While the mechanics differ, the cause and effect of this uncomfortable fact can ultimately be connected to a similar peculiarity in religion.
Larry Achiampong’s “And I saw a new heaven” is on view through June 17th @ Copperfield Gallery 6 Copperfield Street, London
