Playscapes
Playscapes is a never-ending generative journey through four abstract biomes inspired by the physics — experienced and controlled by a viewer via a joystick.
Generative artwork and solo exhibition, 2026
With four scenes inspired by different natural structures, Playscapes is an endless flight through the abstract and dynamic universe that continuously changes following its internal rhythms.
Patterns of energy pass through the large structures made out of elementary particles and form a cosmic dance of the moving matter.
Living biomes of Playscapes are informed by physical and biological forces and signals depicted through shape, light and colour. The locations are created in real time based on the defined parameters and algorithms, so every journey through them is unique.
The inclusion of the viewer and their choice to participate or stay away and observe is crucial. The universe gets its meaning in the curious mind of the observer, who notices patterns hidden in chaos and deciphers them to create their own understanding of the world.
Having emerged from the entropy, consciousness bears miraculous powers of comprehension and inventiveness, as if through the creation of the mind, the universe is striving to understand and structure itself.
Created as a part of the project, interactive sculptural artworks present every biome separately and allow to explore them in more depth. Combining a screen and a joystick, the sculpture refers to the form of an arcade machine but rethinks its purpose and message.
The interactive worlds shown on the screen do not expect you to collect points or reach goals — the journey is endless, and its purpose is not fixed.
Playscapes was first presented on a 7×7 m screen as a part of Zhestkov's solo show in Beijing, artist's first in Asia. Presented across 4 rooms and a gallery facade, the exhibition was devised inside the studio and designed by Zhestkov's team.
The show included multiple artworks created over the last decade which reflect on Zhestkov's fascination with complexity and structures underlying both material and intangible phenomena of our world.
Modules — Zhestkov's first experiment with interactive technology — was exhibited as another large part of the show. A digital space consisting of 13 rooms, it is an artwork that integrates virtual installations into bespoke architecture, blending together the exhibits and the space.
At the show, Modules was presented in two formats — on a VR headset that immerses the viewer fully and on a sculpture with a joystick to explore the world of the artwork in a portal of a screen.
Other works in the show capture Zhestkov's interest in grasping the natural algorithms and interacting with them from other angles. Elements and Volumes represent his experiments with physical simulations in enclosed spaces, reminiscent of both scientific labs and silent gallery spaces.
Playscapes was produced over the course of few months in late 2025 and early 2026. Working with developers, artists, architects, and industrial designers, Zhestkov created an experience, in which both physical and digital components were carefully planned.
During the production, the project idea transformed from a concept more directly inspired by game worlds to a more abstract representation of control and choice.
Playscapes
A real-time artwork with four abstract biomes navigated with a joystick.
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Simulation Hypothesis
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Metaphysics
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Modules
Modules is a VR art experience, where architecture, sculpture, film, and music blend together to immerse viewers into Zhestkov's world.
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Borders
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Points of View
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Two bespoke artworks created for the global launch of PlayStation 5 based on Zhestkov's projects — Layers and Computations, which became embodiments of the soul of the new console.
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Computations
Computations speculates a future when computation moves from the opaque ‘black boxes’ of our laptops and devices out into the world.
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Layers
Layers is an artwork dedicated to the exploration of the relationship between the inner and the outer sides of objects.
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