Jonas Blume

What happens when an artist relinquishes all control in a violent game like “Grand Theft Auto”? In the video work “Rhythm Zero Los Santos”, Jonas Blume places the fate of his avatar in the hands of other players.

By surrendering his virtual alter ego to the game world of “Grand Theft Auto” without intervening, Jonas Blume becomes part of a structure in which power and transgressions are continuously negotiated – and his avatar is constantly attacked by fellow players. The video work is inspired by Marina Abramović’s performance “Rhythm 0” (1974) and Yoko Ono’s “Cut Piece” (1964), in which they remained inactive as artists and invited visitors to perform actions on their bodies with various objects. In both cases, control over the situation was transferred to the audience.

In “Rhythm Zero Los Santos,” the virtual space becomes a dangerous place. Even though the players remain anonymous and the weapons only exist digitally, the aggression shown remains frighteningly real. This raises the question of the significance of social gender in the perception of this violence, especially in comparison to the performances by Abramović and Ono. The difference between the avatars in “Grand Theft Auto” and the artists’ bodies shifts the perspective: it shows how gender attributions are structured, who appears capable of action and who appears vulnerable.

For the third time, HAU presents an artistic exploration of the video game “Grand Theft Auto,” asking what makes this game so appealing. Janne Kummer (artist, AI researcher and Muay Thai martial artist), Jonas Blume and another guest will discuss this topic.