Video Games And Art Collide At The Akron Museum Of Art

The glow of towering skyscrapers and gaming logos looks right out of a video game world. But Tabor Robak’s 20XX isn’t on Playstation 4: It’s in the Akron Art Museum. Opening Oct. 19, Open World: Video Games & Contemporary Art explores video games’ influence on the art world through paintings, sculpture, animation, performance art and games themselves. A digitally animated video, 20XX places real-life landmarks, such as the Empire State Building, in a virtual landscape.

“When you’re watching it, you almost feel as though you’re exploring an open-world game,” says Theresa Bembnister, curator of exhibitions at the museum. Open-world games, which allow players to explore virtual lands freely, serve as  central inspiration for the exhibit.

“There’s this idea in the art world that playing video games is a waste of time,” says Bembnister. “We want to show that’s not the case. Playing video games can be something that really helps inspire creative expression.” 1 S. High St., Akron, 330-376-9185, akronartmuseum.org