Marco Laimre „A.S.T.A. 1.0 / Black Flag Shadow”

“A.S.T.A. 1.0 / Black Flag” is an actual episode from a potential computer game that is manifested via the methods of contemporary art. Screenshots, video loop, absurd statistics and a broken prototype of the robot cat Asta are the elements that are found in the large gallery of the Tartu Art House. The exhibition can be viewed in three levels of difficult: easy, hard or nightmare.Marco Laimre is currently studying in the PhD programme of art and design at the Doctoral School of the Estonian Academy of Arts. The topic of his doctoral research is “FPS-RPG Type Post-apocalyptic Computer Games and Contemporary Art”. The present exhibition serves as the first of three practical parts of Laimre’s doctoral research and it searches for the possibilities of using dystopian computer games in the context of contemporary art. It is also Laimre’s 24th personal exhibition.Laimre adds: “This is quite a strange place where David Vseviov, Asta Nielsen, Marta Vaarik and Edward the cat meet…”.Marco Laimre (b 1968) has graduated from the Estonian Academy of Arts and was for a long time professor at the Department of Photography in the same institution. He is one of the founders of the Contemporary Art Museum of Estonia and serves on its board. Laimre has represented Estonian at the Venice Biennale (2001, with Ene-Liis Semper) and last year had a large personal exhibition in the Tallinn Art Hall. His previous personal exhibition in Tartu was in 2007 at the Tartu Art Museum.Thanks: David Vseviov, Marta Vaarik, Reimo Võsa-Tangsoo, Maigi Magnus, Rene Reinumäe, Indrek Köster, Jaak Tomberg, Maris Karjatse, Anna Kaarma, Department of Photography of the Estonian Academy of Arts.Production of the exhibition has been supported by the Cultural Endowment of Estonia.