THE MYTHIC BEING IN LIBERTY CITY

The Mythic Being in Liberty City is a replay of Adrian Piper’s 1973 performance The Mythic Being entirely produced and (re)enacted within the virtual space of Grand Theft Auto IV’s digital metropolis, a replica of New York City. 

The original game was modded and the main character, Niko Bellic, was replaced by an avatar of Piper/The Mythic Being. The Mythic Being, like GTA’s Niko Bellic, is a dangerous character, one who “embodies everything you hate and fear”, a chauvinistic, and ruthless alpha-male.

The phallocentric view of the world that Piper criticized in her performance is the normative mode of play of the Grand Theft Auto games.

This work is part of COLL.EO's ongoing Grand Theft Auto IV's interventions.