We live in an age of gaming gorgeousness. Gamersâ lives nowadays are filled with fancy normal mapping and illumination engines, powered by slickly encased hardware that outputs onto super-sharp screens. In short, thereâs a lot of thought given to aesthetics in the present day. But, it hasnât always been this way and an upcoming art show will showcase the uglierâyet vitally importantâgaming hardware of yesteryear.
American Icons gathers select works by Massachusetts artist Jason Brockert, whoâs done a series of hazy still-life renderings of the Atari 2600, the Commodore 64, the Nintendo Entertainment System and old-school cartridges. Another series of paintings also portray classic Star Wars action figures, with most painted in a quietly contemplative style.
This showingâs being put together by nerd culture collective I Am 8-Bit in their downtown L.A. gallery and will open to the public this Friday. Some of the paintingsâwhich are affordable as far as fine art goesâwill also be available as prints for those who canât make the show. So, if youâre still mourning that Pitfall cartridge that your mom threw away way back when, you can hang up a nostalgic replica in your living room in memory of dear old Harry.
American Icons [I Am 8-Bit]
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