Neopets-centric art installation in Ireland

[samsepiol]

Saw this via NeoMerch and thought this was so nice and rad that I had to share it with you all.

Per the article dublinpeople.com

Dublin’s Kildare Street will soon be the sight of a new a new art installation by New York artist, Bunny Rogers.

The special eight-week exhibition, called NEOPETS, is part of a new, collaborative effort led by The Form Foundation to bring a selection of the most talked-about pieces of contemporary art to Ireland.

The NEOPETS exhibition takes place on Dublin’s Kildare Street, Dublin 2 from the October 5 to December 5.

Three of these Neopets (Techo Statue, Shoyru Statue and Chia Statue) will be on display as part of this exhibition.

“The artist, Bunny Rogers takes inspiration from online gaming and digital identities from her youth, to create brilliant, bold sculptures for this show-stopping NEOPETS exhibition,” the council says.

“Rogers’ towering bronze sculptures bear resemblance to ornate European gargoyles, but are brilliantly modernised in Rogers’ whimsical and bold artistic style.”

Speaking about the installation, Lord Mayor of Dublin, Caroline Conroy said: “These NEOPETS sculptures by Bunny Rogers are not to be missed.

“I’m delighted to see them take up residence in Dublin as a playful animation.

“The exhibition is sure to be a great addition to our city’s conversation-starting public art scene.”

A major reference for Rogers is the world of online gaming and the malleable identities associated with role-playing and fantasy communities.

“This interest was not born out of purely conceptual or aesthetic considerations, but instead developed seamlessly from Rogers’ own fascination and involvement with these platforms in her youth,” a spokesperson said.

“Her first forays into art can be traced to her experiments on the website Neopets.com: an immersive online universe popular in the early 2000s in which children created and tended to virtual pets. For Rogers, spending time on the internet as a child was equated with a freedom from isolation and her work thereby demonstrates an enchantment with online expressions of community.”

“My Neopets were real to me,” Rogers says, “I wished that I could visit Neopia and didn’t understand why I couldn’t.”

Article: (you need an account to see links)

[Ice]

Wow good for her!! I feel like nowadays there is a certain cringe factor with admitting you like/are into Neopets when you're 20+ but I'm glad she is embracing her passion and letting us live vicariously through her. The Techo sculpture pic is awesome too, she really nailed it! Easy to see the items that she used for inspiration, although there aren't any pics of the Shoyru/Chia but I assume these are the ones.



spoiler bc big

Please log in to view spoilers.

[Flordibel]

“My Neopets were real to me,” Rogers says, “I wished that I could visit Neopia and didn’t understand why I couldn’t.”

Ohhhhhh this is so sweet! I feel you, Bunny. We love our little guys. 🥺

[kittyray]

Oh, I got lost in a rabbit hole a while regarding this artist because the shoyru statue was featured in a (you need an account to see links).

[Raposa]

My inner eight year old is screaming. My outer adult is too. This is the stuff of dreams, even with all that's going on with the site Neopians' fondness still only grows with time.

An art installation of full-size replica Neopets items is so surreal, I wish I could see it in person. They look awesome.

[Serebii]

Oh these are so beautifully done. I really love when artists pour so much heart and soul into their work. These statues look almost like something you'd expect to see at a Neopets-centric theme park or even in their office during the heyday.

[TsUNaMy WaVe]

Omg this is amazing. Good for her, I'm glad she got to display her art openly and proudly. And it looks so good too!

[DarkSkies]

This is awesome, my inner child is so happily screaming!! She really deserves this chance, her work is so good

[Lyrichord]

Wow, this is amazing! I love to see things like this. Her work is so cute. Looking forward to seeing more pics of it as Neo fans go and take photos!

[Houndoom]

Oh man these statues are so so cool ;-; So much of the neopets lore and art is super pretty (I'm thinking of the altador ones right now) so it'd be so cool to see these in person. They're so well done!