shadow__play
2022
Video installation

Photo’s by Sonia Mangiapane

For the exhibition ‘If it fools you, it is not fake’ at TETEM, Enschede, artists Valentina Gal, Diana Gheorghiu and Sonia Mangiapane developed new works in which they investigate the meaning of polyvocality. They collaborated with Nishant Shah, a feminist, humanist, technologist and researcher at ArtEZ University of the Arts. They explored how polyvocality might find a suitable place in today’s technology-oriented society and how agency can be given to those typically excluded from dominant normative narratives. Can polyvocality contribute to the social inclusivity and the diversity of society or is it a utopian ideal and therefore unattainable? The new works are presented in the exhibition ‘If it fools you, it is not fake’ in Tetem, during the Photo Festival Enschede 2021.

An avid gamer, Valentina Gal is all too familiar with the customs of online communities. On platforms such as Twitch or Reddit, she researches online subcultures like the furry fandom, cosplayers and – for this exhibition – the world of Vtubers (Virtual YouTubers). The internet offers a relatively safe space for those who want to express themselves, and at the same time provides a low threshold for others to express criticism. The avatar is a central element in this balancing act of online freedom and critique. A live filter allows streamers to modify their appearance in such a way that they are anonymous and at the same time have a unique hybrid digital personality. Valentina’s interactive video-installation can be read as such an Avatar – a filter overlaying our physical space that shines light on the online world of streamers, while revealing its shadowy sides.

‘If it fools you, it is not fake’ is part of Tetem’s SprintExpo program in which emerging artists work towards the realization of a new work over the course of a few months. The SprintExpo ‘If it fools you, it is not fake’ has been developed in connection to the Photo Festival Enschede 2021. Between October 10th and November 19th, the Photo Festival Enschede with the theme ‘Colors of Life’ holds different exhibitions that can be seen at various locations in the city.