In this fictional world, the walls are adorned with Mak2’s AI-generated artworks, and all non-player characters – fair attendees – are zombies.
The player’s goal is to survive in the fair for as long as possible, by killing any approaching zombies and replenishing ammunition when it runs out.
The work has been a year in the making, but she has had the idea of a fantasy game for relieving art world stress for a long time.
“When people asked me what I wanted to work on in the future, and I couldn’t think of anything, I would always mention this [game] as a joke,” she says.
But the artist – who changed her artist name from Mak Ying-tung to Mak2 in 2018 – hadn’t dared make Art Survivors until now, held back partly by the fear that the art world wouldn’t be able to take the insult.
“I’ve been wondering if I’m biting the hand that feeds me,” Mak2 says with a laugh. “Sometimes, when you’ve worked for so long, you limit yourself to a box.
“When you’ve done something for a while, you might think, ‘Oh, this doesn’t seem serious enough, or there’s not enough to this idea.’”
After being encouraged by De Sarthe’s Hong Kong gallery director, Allison Cheung, Mak2 finally sketched up the idea and coordinated with a game engineer to create Art Survivors.
Look at Maurizio Cattelan showing a banana at Art Basel – he’s done it already. I’m just copying him
There is a serious point to the game. While art fairs should theoretically be an avenue for open, creative expression, the commercial aspect is complex – filled with capitalist agendas and competition that rewards only those who are able to strategically navigate the industry’s dynamics.
When players eventually die, they are led to a rankings list with the best and worst player times, which highlights the hierarchy ingrained in the art world and illustrates just how cutthroat the industry is.
The artist maintains that the shooting game is less about expressing her discontent and more about poking fun at issues in an industry she has chosen to be part of.
After all, for players, the ultimate goal of the game is “to stay alive without becoming one of the infected – and with the right adjustment to mindset, maybe even have fun”. It must be possible to be a successful artist without losing oneself, she seems to say.
The artist also points out that she isn’t the only one who has made fun of the art market.
The exhibition also features several other works, including This Way to the Game (2024), a colourful, AI-generated artwork that has been projected onto curtains.
There are also five new triptychs. Titled “Home From Home” (2024), the series depicts AI-generated scenes that are combinations of Mak2’s previous Home Sweet Home paintings and stills from the shooting game. Aside from blending art and technology, these surreal, uncanny works also blur reality with fantasy.
Ultimately, the artist views her exhibition and its sarcastic undercurrents as an expression of her affection for the industry.
“It’s a bit like dating,” she says. “If I didn’t love [art], I wouldn’t spend so much time discussing it.”
“Art Survivors”, De Sarthe Gallery, 26/F, M Place, 54 Wong Chuk Hang Road, Wong Chuk Hang. Until June 22.