EXCALIBUR “NEW GAME +”

Title, colours, dates… playful elements are everywhere. Just like in a role-playing game.

From December 8 to 19, EXCALIBUR, a Tokyo-based artist collective, presents its first exhibition in Paris.

Unlike the famous Japanese Neo-pop movement, born from anime and manga culture and led by Takashi Murakami, EXCALIBUR, the next generation, draws its inspiration from video games as well as Japanese mythology and culture. We call this “post-Neo-pop.”

EXCALIBUR’s pixel art is heavily inspired by the graphic aesthetic of 1980s Nintendo games and the golden age of video games. They use the same 8-bit pixelation as games from that era, giving their works a strong sense of nostalgia while showcasing modern technology.

“I was particularly influenced by the beauty of the pixel art in ‘River City Ransom’ (also known as ‘Street Gangs’), the third game in the Technos Kunio-kun series,” explains Yoshinori Tanaka, founder of EXCALIBUR. Yoshitaka Amano’s original illustrations for “Final Fantasy 2” also left a deep impression on him. “The shift from a watercolour drawing to an 8-bit digital image on Nintendo was both surprising and beautiful. It was the first time the gaming world called directly on an artist to create a game’s universe, and you could see how they tried to blur the line between physical and digital art.”

Purple is a colour often used in EXCALIBUR’s works, “because it was considered an imperial and sacred colour in ancient Japan. Also, contemporary urban culture uses a lot of neon colours, and purple is the dominant colour in the neon palette.”

EXCALIBUR also notes that the works are made following the rule of the 16 basic RGB colours, limiting the number of colours to 16 or fewer.

“Games require rules, and as an artist drawing inspiration from video games, I like creating rules for my work as if I were playing a game.”

The exhibition’s title, “NEW GAME +,” refers to the idea of replaying a game after a “GAME OVER.” In the context of the pandemic, many people experienced negative feelings such as sadness, stress and absurdity. Reflecting on our new everyday life and on the future, these experiences will help us grow into better players. What’s more, even though the present may seem very advanced, it is in fact a nostalgic retro game for the future, the message being to keep building this world for a better tomorrow.

The “NEW GAME +” exhibition unfolds across two floors. The ground floor, titled “Great Reset,” mainly features recent works created before the health crisis. The basement, named “Dungeon of Memories,” reveals the collective’s sources of inspiration. These two distinct spaces offer an immersive experience, letting visitors discover EXCALIBUR and its unique approach as if playing a game.

The opening date, December 8, also hides a wink: it combines “8-bit pixel art” and the “12 knights” of Arthurian legend, the origin of the name EXCALIBUR.

In this way, the EXCALIBUR collective keeps surprising us, bringing meaning not only through its works but also through its activities and creative references. Come discover EXCALIBUR’s new world in the heart of Paris!