Pictoplasma Festival: Exhibition INTER__FACES

Group show of the 15th PICTOPLASMA International Festival of Character Design and Art

8 May, 18:00, Opening

The central exhibition Inter__Faces presents artistic works that explore our emotional relationship with virtual characters. Although the characters initially engage viewers, their attitude remains alien, seemingly aloof and disinterested. Lucas Zanotto installs a series of large kinetic sculptures with which viewers try in vain to establish eye contact. Sundance award winner Jeron Braxton seduces us into a performative interaction with his polygonal characters––but what remains after this workout with an avatar as a virtual mirror? And in a serial work, characters by Elenor Kopka, Eran Hilleli, Julian Glander, Laurie Rowan, and Peter Millard appear as giant holograms, which react to viewers and elicit their empathy, only to destroy it again, or render it superfluous. Visitors can try out what it means to get close to virtual characters. Much celebrated interactivity reverts to too much intimacy.

The transitions from real to virtual, analogue to digital, human to machine become visible. Filmmaker Nikita Diakur shows video footage that is manipulated and transformed into digital characters. And an installation features the finalists of the open call Secret Sidekicks, for which participants were asked to overlay documented scenes from their lives with a fictional character: augmented banality replaces augmented reality.

free entrance

Featured Artists: 

Elenor Kopka
Resurrection Drive Part II, still from animation film, 2016

George Tonks
Secret Sidekick, digital illustration on photography, 2018

Jeron Braxton
personal work, digital illustration, 2018

Julian Glander
Hologram, preview for the exhibition at Silent Green, digital illustration, 2019

Lucas Zanotto
Eyes, still from the animation film, 2018

Nick O’Malley
Secret Sidekick, digital illustration on photography, 2018