Sure, you could sit on your couch all day playing video games, but you'll soon be missing out on a behind-the-scenes look at the art that inspired some of your favorite digital worlds. VGA Gallery (also know as Video Game Art Gallery) has been hosting pop-up exhibitions of video game-related art in spaces all over Chicago for the past three years, but the organization has finally found a permanent home in the city—just off the 606.
On August 11, VGA Gallery will celebrate the opening of its new space at 2418 West Bloomingdale Avenue, Apt 102, which is located near the Western Blue Line station, Logan Square, Wicker Park and Humboldt Park. Founders Jonathan Kinkley and Chaz Evans are launching a $10,000 Kickstarter campaign on July 11 to help fund the space, which is located in the Bloomingdale Arts Building.
VGA Gallery will host three to five exhibitions each year, featuring video game-related works by artists and game developers. Kinkley and Evan also plan to use the space to host lectures, talks and demonstrations; to provide a home for VGA's prints of video game art (which are currently only available through the gallery's online store); and to act as a home base for an annual publication called the VGA Reader that the duo plans to launch later this year. When it's not in use, the space will be available for private rentals and through Airbnb.
The inaugural exhibition at VGA Gallery will showcase artwork from Savior, an independent video game that was developed in Cuba. The game uses a hand-drawn gothic art style to tell a story about metaphysics, exploring the political, cultural and racial climate of the country in which it was made.
VGA Gallery will be open to the public Wednesdays from 5 to 8pm and Sundays from noon to 5pm. The opening reception for Savior will occur on Friday, August 11 from 5 to 8pm and the exhibition will be on display in the space through November 19.
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