This winter, Culture Liverpool and FACT are celebrating the intersection of art and play through incredible outdoor installations and an interactive exhibition. Nina Newbold, FACT’s Exhibitions Producer, shares more below.
Alongside this year’s River of Light festival, which centres around the theme of ‘Play,’ FACT presents Art Plays Games, a free, interactive exhibition open until 27 April 2025.
Art Plays Games transforms our first-floor gallery into an immersive space where digital artists and independent game developers take centre stage. However, this exhibition isn’t just for seasoned gamers! The space is designed for people of all ages, gamers and non-gamers alike, to engage with art in a playful, hands-on, and imaginative way.
Throughout the exhibition’s run, we’ll be rotating the games on display, ensuring that there’s something new to discover with each visit! Currently, four artist games are housed within the gallery, including works by Tomo Kihara and Playfool, Porpentine Charity Heartscape, Laura Palavecino, and Ayoung Kim.
This series of artist-made games offers something unique for everyone to enjoy and connect with. Right now, you can play outdraw.AI by Tomo Kihara and Playfool, a multiplayer drawing guessing game that pits human creativity against artificial intelligence for a fun, competitive experience. There’s also Laura Palavecino’s interactive video work Enchanted Sea, a poetic, musical journey through the Argentine Sea that explores the fragility of our natural ecosystems. In 2025, we’ll showcase games created by independent developers and studios on iPads and Nintendo Switch consoles, and host a number of free and affordable events within the space, such as talks and gaming tournaments.
By highlighting how artists use games to tell stories and offer new ways to make sense of the world through play, the exhibition allows us to explore deeper themes such as identity and representation, climate change and ecology, non-human perspectives, and advancements in AI technology.
Art Plays Games is open Tuesday to Sunday from 11:00 to 18:00, making it the perfect starting point for your River of Light journey. Get into the playful spirit at FACT before heading to Liverpool’s waterfront to explore 12 large-scale installations that transform the city into an illuminated playground. We hope you enjoy your River of Light experience and feel inspired by the incredible possibilities of art and play!
