The crypto art pioneer bridges mechanical sculptures and video games in Asia debut.
Inside Hong Kong’s De Sarthe gallery, the traditional sterile white cube exhibition space has been radically altered into an environment resembling an arcade and game room. For his first solo show in Asia, titled “Workers’ Playtime,” crypto art pioneer Mitchell F. Chan has temporarily set aside the blockchain to focus his creative vision on pinball tables and mechanical gameplay.
The exhibition centers on Chan's new pinball works, using the mechanics of traditional arcade cabinets to inspect the relationship between labor and leisure. Specifically, the presentation examines the subtle and direct ways in which play can mirror and reinforce the underlying structure of work. Rather than treating games solely as escapism or leisure, Chan explores how rules, scores, and repetitive physical inputs align with workplace dynamics.
Bridging the physical and digital spheres, the exhibition features Worker’s Playtime: Luxury Edition (2026). This video game directly expands the physical and mechanical components of Chan's sculptures into the digital realm, synthesizing tangible arcade mechanics with screen-based interaction. Through this hybrid presentation of mechanical sculpture and interactive software, Chan creates an environment where physical components, gameplay loops, and digital extensions challenge traditional gallery expectations while scrutinizing the rigged systems of modern production.
Chan demonstrates how interactive physical media and video games can conceptually dismantle complex topics like labor dynamics within contemporary gallery spaces. For new media artists, the project illustrates innovative methods for extending physical mechanical craft into digital software environments.
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