Atari, Nintendo and Sega Genesis are a few of the consoles created during the golden age of video games.“8-bit August" is celebrating this era at the 1078 Gallery.
The art exhibit pays homage to the halcyon days of gaming, when pixel art was not merely an aesthetic choice but a technological requirement.
“We[‘d] never really seen anything like that. Pinball existed, obviously, along with board games and stuff, but it was this fascinating thing on your screen.”— Casey Fay, artist and curator of ‘8-bit August’
Casey Fay, the artist and one of the show’s curators, says the exhibit aims to celebrate retro video games and invite the public to experience nostalgia and creativity.
“What you'll see is a really neat and wide array of styles,” Fay said. “Everybody took the concept and ran with it.”
The exhibit features work by various local talents. The only guidelines given were that their pieces should either evoke the aesthetics of classic video games or draw inspiration from them.
From a laser-cut of wood depicting the Ghosts of Pac-Man to a bright watercolor of the Super Mario Garden to a colorful canvas of Duck Hunt, all of the art provides a sense of nostalgia for video game lovers.
“I actually learned to draw from Pac-Man, and now you know I’m an artist professionally, so I owe a lot to video games,” Fay said.
Upon arrival at 1078, the background of the help desk is decorated with visuals of some of the most iconic gaming characters.
Super Mario, Sonic the Hedgehog and Pac-Man are all present. Various references for video game lovers draw the eyes to a number of pieces of art on the gallery’s walls.
As viewers walk through the exhibit, they might experience a sense of sentimentality if they grew up when these video games were created.
“We[‘d] never really seen anything like that,” Kay said. “Pinball existed, obviously, along with board games and stuff, but it was this fascinating thing on your screen that you could play and spend hours and hours.”
“8-bit August” is open through Sept. 1.
Gallery hours are 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Friday through Sunday.
1078 Gallery is located at 1710 Park Avenue in Chico, Calif.
Artists with displayed works:
- Alli Johnston
- Aye Jay
- Casey Fay
- Chad Schneider
- Danyol Murphy
- Dylan Tellesen
- Heather Rayann
- Jacob Davenport
- Lori Escobar
- Lucas Rodriguez
- Matt Loomis
- Micah Black
- Michael Bone
- Muir Hughes
- RossPMW
- Sea Monster
- Scout
- Tireless Lee
- Zak Elstein
