Cory Arcangel's 'Super Mario Clouds' online via Stavanger Art Museum

18 May 2020

Due to its temporary closure, The Stavanger Art Museum has made a selection of works included in its group exhibition ‘In the Clouds’ available to view online. The exhibition presents works from the 19th century to the present day that focus on the ever-present nature of clouds, be they physical or in the digital realm, and explorations that position clouds as carriers of dreams, ideas, freedom, myths, structures, threats and opportunities. Cory Arcangel’s ‘Super Mario Clouds’ (2002) sees the artist hack a 1985 Nintendo Super Mario Bros game, removing all sound and visual elements other than the blue sky with white cumulus clouds. What at first can be read as a nostalgic gesture, or a stylisation of classical art’s cloud motifs, can also be understood as a resistance to participating is contemporary high-speed digital development.

Watch the work via Stavanger Art Museum’s website here.

Download the work via Arcangel's website here.