Art-Bit: The 8-Bit Art of Victor Dandridge
For Immediate Release: ToonSeum Joe Wos (412)232-0199 [email protected] images available The ToonSeum Goes 8-Bit With Latest Exhi-BIT! Pittsburgh, PA- The ToonSeum, Pittsburgh’s museum of comic and cartoon art, is going retro with their latest exhibition entitled Art-Bit: The 8-Bit Art of Victor Dandridge. The exhibition features popular superheroes, television icons, celebrities and more, re-imagined as 8-bit characters. 8-bit is a term used to describe the images used in the video games of the 1980’s, as popularized by the Nintendo Entertainment System. Notable characters such as Mario, Mega Man, and Donkey Kong made their debut in the 8-bit era. This blocky pixilated style has become as iconic as the games themselves and is currently playing a bit part in a digital pop art resurgence. Artist Victor Dandridge of Columbus, Ohio is at the forefront of said resurgence. Victor is an independent publisher, artist, educator and life-long comics fan. His 8-bit art was initially a way to stand out stylistically at comic conventions and he has gone on to create hundreds of individual works. Victor’s debut gallery exhibition is here, at the Toonseum! “While it would be easy to dismiss the art as simplistic, his work is deceivingly complex,” said ToonSeum director, Joe Wos. “A great deal of thought goes into the choosing of the color palate and positioning of the blocks in order to convey enough information to represent these iconic characters.” Joe had seen Victor’s work at a recent comic convention in Chicago. As he observed the crowd gathered around Victor’s art, attempting to identify the pixilated personas, he knew immediately it would make for an engaging exhibit. These petite prints are only the size of traditional trading cards. To encourage the audience to engage with Victor’s unique art, the ToonSeum has left the prints untitled allowing guests to test their 8-bit pop culture knowledge! They can then submit their guesses for a chance to win comic and gaming-oriented prizes. This exhibition is sponsored by Schell Games and runs through July 6th 2014. A special artist reception will be hosted on June 12th, 7pm-9pm at the ToonSeum.
