UBERMORGEN’s Chinese Gold (2013-) is a constantly evolving project that combines research, documentation, appropriation, storytelling and remixing. It investigates the phenomenon of gold mining in World of Warcraft (WoW) and revolves around a partially fictitious research into the socio-economic impact of virtual currencies. In China, there are over 2,000 online gaming workshops employing over 500,000 workers, known as Chinese Gold Farmers, who play online games to produce in-game currency, equipment, and characters that are sold to Western gamers.

In this solo exhibition (27 September - 8 November 2017), LI-MA provided a new physical presentation of Chinese Gold. In collaboration with the artist duo created in Austria, a combination of prints and video works were selected to display as sculptural elements. The prints on aluminum and the screens were made the same size so all elements became equal and reminiscent of a filing cabinet, translating the origin of the work into a spatial constellation.

As part of the additional events, Luzius Bernhard of UBERMORGEN and researcher Julie Thorez Boschat engaged in a conversation during the exhibition opening on 27 September 2017, dissecting the work and discussing its (re)presentation, as well as UBERMORGEN's attitude towards the art world. Boschat Thorez’s investigative and critical interviewing style complemented Bernhard's performative storytelling style. Similar to the work itself, there were moments when fact and fiction seemed to intertwine. Thorez Boschat was invited by LIMA to research the work Chinese Gold as a case study, please find more details here. 
 
The lecture delivered by Willem van Weelden on 3 November 2017 delved into the hidden history of the controversial artist duo, referred to as “digital terrorist,” and examined the violence inherent in financial capitalism, the role of art as fiction and art’s potential as a neo-colonialism of the cybertariat. Van Weelden approached Chinese Gold critically through a psychoanalytic lens, challenging the conventional art historical interpretation. His lecture was as controversial as the duo's work, yet thought provoking. In the Skype interview, Bernhard acknowledged the applicability of the psychoanalytic approach to the duo’s artistic practice, further reinforcing the significance of Van Weelden's perspective.

About UBERMORGEN

The Vienna-based artist duo UBERMORGEN (lizvlx and Luzius Bernhard) is an established name in the field of digital art. The work, a pastiche of software-based art, conceptual art, photography and installation, is represented in the LI-MA collection. Within process-based artworks, the duo creates alternative narratives to critically reflect on digital culture. With both dark humor and activism, the duo reveals the inside and downside of a networked society. (updated as of September 2017)

Images in descending order: 

• Banner Cultural Matter: UBERMORGEN
• UBERMORGEN, Chinese Gold, 2013-  (installation view)
• Willem van Weelden in conversation with Luzius Bernhard

Photos by Jose Miguel Biscaya