ALL GAME NO PLAY: 9th STIFF EXHIBITION PROGRAM

We are inviting visual, sound, and performing artists as well as individuals and collectives in other creative disciplines (computer scientists, mechanics, game developers, writers…) that deal with the topic of PLAY to submit their work for the exhibition program of 9th STIFF festival. We are inviting writers and poets who are open to letting their texts come to life activated by animation in space to submit their poems or short texts. 

We welcome various perspectives, from social or intimate to conceptual approaches. Submissions are open to visual media, performances, participative works and instructions, digital works (GIF, mem, NFT, computer graphics, 3D objects, video games, websites, applications, video), installations, interactive objects, machines, custom toys, board games, classic games, as well as sound works and textual works that can be interpreted in the exhibition or public space while dealing with the subject of play in the broadest sense. 

For the last eight years, the STIFF Festival has produced an extensive supporting program that elaborates and complements the thematic focus of its film program. With the emphasis on contemporary art practices, STIFF’s exhibition program gathers artists from all over the globe, dealing with relevant social, political, and intimate aspects of everyday life. 

This year the festival is giving attention to the topic of Play. The exhibition aims to bring together international authors whose works question the meaning of play in contemporary life, use games as a way of communication, or invite the audience to interact with the works. 

How do we play while defying the games imposed on us? Who makes the rules? Does the world we live in evoke our playfulness or leave us with a sense of being trapped by the standards it delivers?

In a world where there is a quick way to do almost anything, what are the activities we look for pleasure and where do we take things slow? Are we leaving ourselves the room for mistakes?  

How do we build interpersonal relations through play? Games we play as adults perform various functions and address different needs. Do the games we play among our communities establish a space for collaboration or competition?

Whether it focuses on strategic thinking and problem solving or exploration and imagination, playing provides a temporary distance from reality. Which are the places we go to while playing, how long do we stay there, and do we find it hard to come back?

As a supporting festival program, the multimedia exhibition will aim to create a special sensory experience that will explore and enrich the subject of the play. 

We invite you to explore the overlapping of art, play and social interaction. We are looking for artworks that activate the visitors and confirm experiencing art as a physical act. The exhibition tends to establish a framework for play to examine our everyday lives.