Biography

Vegas Simbelis, artist name – Das Vegas, is artist and researcher whose work examines power structures and humanizing aspect of technology.

Research and creation unfold in fields of art and design, interactivity, unique user experiences, critical media studies, data economy and surveillance, ArtTech and FinTech.

Knowledge results in publications and concepts of digital repurposing and digital upcycling, machine aesthetics and interaction design, synesthetic experience and synthesis in audiovisual, disruptive methods and hacking mundane devices for aesthetic pursuits. PhD in Mediated Communication, Human-Computer Interaction from KTH. Teaching art, design, media, technology subjects at the department of Media Technology and Interaction Design at the Royal Institute of Technology (KTH) in Stockholm, Sweden. Vegas is affiliated with Mobile Life VINN Excellence Centre in Kista, Sweden.

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Vygandas "Vegas" Šimbelis, artist name – Das Vegas (Lithuania/Sweden), is a contemporary (media) artist and researcher. With degrees in art and design from art academies, the highest attainment in the field is a PhD degree and Vegas holds a second PhD (doctorate) from the KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm, Sweden. Having extensive experience in fine art and design, Vegas critically examines new territories and conducts research questioning the role of art (and artist) in relation to our contemporary society and with its socio-political implications.

Interdisciplinarity is an overarching approach to Vegas work and it implies various significant artistic, scientific and technological resources. Decolonizing is the major theoretical and political framework of his work, in particular, in regard to technology with its failure processes, hacking, acceleration and disruption. Converging art and technology, eradicating the divisions between contemporary art and media arts, merging digital with analog, Vegas reflects the implications of the colonial exertion of rights and seeks for the humanization of technology.

With a major focus and regard to the post-digital, the artist is particularly interested in harnessing the hacking for humanizing of technology in its contiguity with and of its situatedness in the real world. In the following, Vegas explores norm-critical perspectives, conceptual ecosystem and design ideas to increase the perceived humanization of technology and re-examine the societal, political, and cultural discourses.

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The unexpected context, unseen places and unexplored realms are of major importance to the Vegas exhibition approach. It is more of harnessing of hacking than a tradition of exhibiting. With internet sites' and mobile app examples, usage of a tax system, or exhibitions on eBay.com the focus shifts toward the defamiliarised within the art settings. Or the occupy museums principle is applied to enter secret milieus in Being Background, the blockchain network extends Art_Value program, skyscraper building facade as a monitor display, or former nuclear-reactor and art-fair contexts both as site- and context-specific installations - this is the exposition proposal to perceive Vegas' work.

Vegas’ projects have been exhibited at more than 120 exhibitions from the start of his œuvre in 1996, including MANIFESTA, Video_Brasil art festival, Istanbul Biennial, Tallinn Print Triennial, Barcelona Art Contemporary Festival, ClubTransmediale, FILE art festival, National Museum and Modern Museum in Stockholm, Contemporary Art Centre in Vilnius, INTRO art centre in Vilnius, Ctrl_Alt_Del Sound Art Festival, Piksel art festival in Bergen, etc.

Research has been presented in practical work, talks and publications (and proceedings) at ISEA, SIG-CHI, SIG-GRAPH, ACE, RIXC, Renewable Futures, 4S and EASST, EVA conferences.

His work has been funded by The Swedish Arts Grants Committee, Nordic Culture Point, Pro Helvetia, the Swiss Arts Council, British Council, Open Society Institute, Soros Foundation, PNEK- Production network for electronic art, the Lithuania Art Council, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Lithuania, and Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Lithuania, etc.

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Contact: intro @ intro.lt



Artist: Das Vegas
biography