Two white bars on a black background, a little square in between. The screen as the playing field. It seems to be the minimalism in aesthetics and game mechanics that has been challenging artists again and again to indulge themselves in the Pong myth. Through its simplicity, Pong can be easily transposed into different contexts / genres. Consequently, the exhibition collects works from the fields of installation, video, software, performance, and fine arts.

Another factor is the huge popularity of Pong, which makes it appear almost like a synonym for video games. This literally mythical level of popularity all but invites artists to indulge themselves in it, adding new facets in the process.

 

Almost all exhibited works of art have been created in recent years and display a conscious discussion of the Pong principle. Each artist has an individual approach, picking up a different facet of the myth to integrate it in the context of his or her work. It is not a big surprise that nearly all works explore the human-machine interface, since this is part of the unique essence of the Pong myth, being the first mass-distributed application that enabled literally everyone to interact with digital technology.

For this reason, pong.mythos focuses on the current situation of man in a digital society as well. Where are we today, and how did we get there? The question of human-machine connections in the future is also asked by many artists, often leading to original answers.