Game Show

What's in a game? More than 15 artists explore that question in this wonderfully playful volume that documents an exciting new MassMoCA exhibition of the same name. Scheduled to open in June of 2001, Game Show is, not surprisingly, the first major exhibition to investigate this topic. But games have appeared in works of art and philosophy throughout the 20th century as theories about chance, systems, and play have found their way into recent critical thought. The exhibition -- and this book -- includes works by Christian Jankowski, Kay Rosen, Marcel Duchamp, Perry Hoberman, Uri Tzaig, Maurizio Cattelan, Sophie Calle, Carsten Holler, and Gabriel Orozco, among others. Their paintings, sculpture, photography, and video installations explore every aspect of games, from the deceptive simplicity of a soccer match, to the forces of chance and luck to the festinating world of wordplay.Whimsically -- and beautifully -- designed to resemble a child's activity book, Gome Show features a variety of games designed specifically for this volume by exhibition artists. In addition, it includes an essay by renowned critic Slavoj Zizek who examines the importance of games to 20th-century philosophers, the works of which provide the basis for the museum's exhibition. This surprising and impressive conjunction of art, philosophy and popular culture documents yet another innovative multi-media installation from one of the nation's premiere museums.