Li Zhenhua: Can you provide an introduction to your artwork?

Angela Washko: “Don’t leave me!” is a phrase frequently cried out by female characters in the role-playing video games I played religiously throughout my childhood. The scenes depicted in “Don’t Leave Me” are moments from role playing video games I grew up with- including Final Fantasy (2, 3, 6, 7, and 8), Metal Gear Solid, Valkyrie Profile, and Chrono Trigger deconstructed from a developing feminist’s perspective. Recently I began realizing that my expectations for a romantic partner that will jump in front of a sword for me and be my over-bearing protector and savior are more than a bit unrealistic, and that these demands have been formed as a result of over a decade spent playing video games in which such storylines are heavily prevalent.

Li Zhenhua: Can you describe the issues of technique, methods and aesthetics that you deal with in your creations?

Angela Washko: In this particular piece I am replaying video games and taking video captures from my screen.  The aesthetics of the piece are therefore a part of a generation of gamers’ shared nostalgia- as the games captured are from Super Nintendo and Playstation One. I place games from 1992 next to games from 2002 – though they’ve evolved graphically (and become largely more cinematic), the themes therein have not evolved.

Li Zhenhua: In your opinion, what is contemporary art?

Angela Washko: Anything that says it is/wants to be.  Or anything that a curator places into that context.

Li Zhenhua: What should a good exhibition achieve?

Angela Washko: A good exhibition should leave visitors questioning their own perception, contexts, and lifestyle well after the show.  It should present works that are both ethically and socially challenging as well as visually engaging and also strike an appropriate balance between creating context for works and leaving enough for the viewer to interpret themselves.

Li Zhenhua: To what extent can you predict or plan for the encounter between your artwork and the beholder? Is it possible to imagine and take account of who they might be, how old they are, what gender roles they might adopt…?

Angela Washko: When my work is shown in gallery contexts in the U.S.- that audience is a typically privileged, mid 20s to 50s crowd of professionals working in the art world.  A lot of this audience has not played video games- so my work can be exotic and revealing to them and reads much differently than when viewed by gamers. Gamers often don’t like seeing their favorite characters exposed as archetypes or repeats. I am interested in sharing this work with both worlds.

On the internet, my audience is much more diverse – I cannot predict who will encounter the artwork and how they will respond.

Li Zhenhua: What do you want to tell the beholder?

Angela Washko: When I share these recurring themes hopefully it becomes apparent how responsible developers are. Games can subtly become propaganda for particular lifestyles and communicate moral codes that impact players’ lives.