Iconic scenes, portraits of characters, landscapes… From December 4 to 23, around twenty watercolors used to create the video game “Dordogne” will be exhibited in Bordeaux. “It’s a first in France, and even in Europe,” assures Charles Fricker, co-founder with Naomi Sioufi of the Tentö gallery, which is hosting the exhibition-sale (1).
This adventure video game, released in spring 2023 and since awarded a prize at the Pégases 2024 (visual excellence prize), a ceremony which rewards the best creators of French video games, was designed by Bordeaux resident Cédric Babouche and his studio Un je ne sais quoi / Umanimation, based in Bègles. In it, the player plunges into the world of Mimi, who returns to her village in Dordogne after the death of her grandmother and dives back into memories of the past, in a quest for answers.
“Narrative and contemplative”
Special feature of this adventure game: the decorations were entirely done in watercolor and by hand, for a “narrative and contemplative” rendering. “It gives another dimension to the game, at the crossroads between video game and work of art,” underlines Naomi Sioufi. “It’s a technique that was mostly used in old cartoons, at Disney or Ghibli for example,” explains Charles Fricker. Video games arrived at a time when that was already over: some were designed to look ‘handmade’ but digitally. To our knowledge, there is no other video game with scenery created entirely by hand and in watercolor. »
Eleven original drawings will be put on sale.
Naomi Sioufi
For this reason, Charles Fricker explains that he has been following the work of Cédric Babouche for a long time. “I said to myself: ‘It would be crazy to be able to do an exhibition based on the original video game sets.” It has already been done for cartoon sets, but never for this type of medium. » On the occasion of the physical release of the game, he threw a “bottle into the sea”, met the creator and “it was a match”.
For collectors and the curious
On the exhibition menu, around twenty original works, 11 of which will be on sale, as well as reproductions, to appeal to collectors, video game fans or curious people looking for a original Christmas gift for example. “There will also be a Switch console installed at the back of the store to make the exhibition truly immersive,” explains Naomi Sioufi. Images of the game will also appear on a TV. We want the exhibition to be artistic but also to have an informative side on the creation of a video game. The idea is to experience the game and see the drawings on the walls, to really get into it. »
(1) Galerie Tentö, 30, rue Bouffard. Originals from 550 euros, reproductions from 10 to 70 euros. Opening on Thursday, December 5 from 5 p.m. in the presence of Cédric Babouche, who will sign the art book and the game boxes.
