About
Robert Overweg is a photographer in the virtual world, he sees the worlds of (first and third person shooter) games as the new public spaces of contemporary society and as a direct extension of the physical world.
Overweg dwells by foot or by air through the outskirts of the virtual world which he dissects through his photography. He documents the similarities and the differences between the virtual and the physical world while making use of the new possibilities the virtual world give him as a photographer.
By looking into how games work and the aesthetics of the virtual world he asks questions about how the system works and the people behind them.
On this site you can view his work and stay updated on new developments and expositions.
I recently finished an artist in residence
@ TAG in The Hague
press
A selection of publications
BBC News 15-07-10
Mr Overweg believes that images he captures remove the sense of gaming from the graphics. Instead they can be interpreted as separate art works revealing new themes to the viewer that may not be related to the ideas initially designed by the game developers.
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NRC Handelsblad 25-09-09
“What is real and what is not? The question has been asked before in contemplations about the virtual world but Robert Overweg sheds new light on this question.”
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<meta> reporter / about new media in the news 29-09-09
“Is Robert Overweg the person who saves us from the hyperreality?”
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Culture Republic 08-07-09
Robert sees virtual environments as the new public spaces, and aims to document them on his new site, Shot By Robert. In doing so, he asks questions about copyright, popular culture and whether experiences in the visual world which are becoming as much a part of reality as day-to-day life are the property of the copyright holder or the person who actually has the experience.
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Videoludica 24-12-2007
“Capturing these landscapes always seemed logical to me”
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Press release, Dutch / English
Dutch:
Robert Overweg is fotograaf in de virtuele wereld, hij ziet de werelden van (first en third person shooter) games als een nieuwe publieke ruimte.
Overweg dwaalt al lopend of vliegend door de uithoeken van de virtuele wereld die hij fileert middels zijn fotografie. Hij legt de overeenkomsten en de verschillen tussen de fysieke en de virtuele wereld vast en maakt hierbij gebruik van de nieuwe mogelijkheden die de virtuele wereld hem biedt als fotograaf.
Door te bekijken hoe de games werken en naar de esthetiek van de virtuele wereld stelt hij vragen over hoe het systeem werkt en de mensen hierachter.
English:
Robert Overweg is a photographer in the virtual world, he sees the worlds of (first and third person shooter) games as the new public spaces of contemporary society.
Overweg dwells by foot or by air through the outskirts of the virtual world which he dissects through his photography. He documents the similarities and the differences between the virtual and the physical world while making use of the new possibilities the virtual world give him as a photographer.
By looking into how games work and the aesthetics of the virtual world he asks questions about how the system works and the people behind them.