MEDIA RELEASE April 21, 2015 Free Play April 25-August 3, 2015 Founders Gallery Free Play is an exhibition curated by Melissa E. Feldman and organized by Independent Curators International (ICI), New York. Free Play was made possible, in part, by grants from the Elizabeth Firestone Graham Foundation and the Robert Sterling Clark Foundation, and with the generous support from ICI’s International Forum and Board of Trustees. Free Play Workshop May 9, 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. Art Interest Tour May 22, 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. Family Sunday May 24, 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. Drop-in tours of the exhibit May 24, June 6 and 14, 2:00 p.m.-3:00 p.m. and June 26 from 7:00 p.m.-8:00 p.m. Art Gallery of Greater Victoria 1040 Moss Street Victoria, British Columbia V8V 4P1 250.384.4171 aggv.ca AGGV brings games and gaming exhibition to Victoria Get ready to play. AGGV is hosting Free Play, a fully hands-on exhibition of games that puts an unexpected spin on classics such as chess, checkers, blackjack, and video games. “Whether their works derive from the playground, the video arcade, the casino, or the rec room, in reinventing games the artists in Free Play aim to create experiences that reflect on social, political and cultural realities,” states exhibition curator Melissa Feldman. The exhibition offers 13 games from 15 artists, including a version of Yoko Ono’s famed all-white chessboard, Play It By Trust, (1966/2014), first exhibited in London in 1966. The game of chess here acts as a metaphor for the futility of war. Ono eliminates the colourbased opposition of one side versus another, thus dooming both players to failure and encouraging us to think about unity rather than divisiveness “It is exciting to have an entire exhibition where we can ask visitors to “Please Touch The Art” ,” says AGGV’s curator of engagement Nicole Stanbridge, who notes Free Play is also an opportunity to demonstrate how art and games can be instruments of social and political critique and powerful tools of activism. The theme of the exhibition set out by curator Melissa Feldman also illustrates the long history of artists using games as a means to inspire creativity. “There are unpredictable outcomes when we play games, it allows us to challenge our mind to come up with creative problem solving and imagine alternate possibilities.” says Stanbridge. Among the arcade of objects in the show is Composition #7 (2010), a version of Guitar Hero by Cory Arcangel, a hopscotch game by Mary Flanagan called Bombscotch (2013), and Ryan Gander’s version of blackjack called Parallell Blackjack (2010)—while the more mystically inclined may gravitate toward Allan McCollum and Matt Mullican’s divining game Your Fate (2004). Also opening on April 25, and offered as a complimentary exhibition to Free Play, is Collecting Contemporary: Opposing Chairs featuring Juan L. Gomez-Perales’ interactive sculpture. Acquired by the Gallery in 1987, Opposing Chairs focuses on participatory experience through art and demonstrates some of the many ways artworks are completed through viewer involvement. Exhibition related programming: See aggv.ca for details Media Contact: Sandra Hudson tel. 250-383-5605 or 250-216-1380 [email protected] Workshop with artist Megan Dickie on May 9 from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. Drawn from aspects of her own playful art practice, Victoria-based artist Megan Dickie will lead participants on a journey of experimentation with unpredictable and surprising results. Admission is free, sponsored by Scotia McLeod. Limited space available. Registration begins April 13; email visitor services with your name and phone number: [email protected]. Art Interest Tour - May 22 from 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. Family Sunday - May 24 from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. Drop-in tours of the exhibition are May 24, June 6 and 14 from 2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. and June 26 from 7:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. For more information on programs or the exhibition go to aggv.ca or call 250-384-4171. -30-