Play original video games at BWAC, by Brian Abate

Raices, a Latinx and Hispanic heritage art exhibit has come to Red Hook! The exhibit had its grand opening on Oct. 28 and is open on weekends from 1-6 pm through Nov. 19. There is a possibility that the arcade may live on past November.

The video game gallery is located at the Brooklyn Waterfront Artists Coalition (BWAC) at 481 Van Brunt St., Door 7A on the second floor.

The event is curated by Tamavis, who said that BWAC had a similar exhibit on the first floor but it was so popular that this year they decided to move the exhibit to the second floor where there is more space. While the artists participating in the exhibit come from a variety of locations, many of them are from Red Hook, including Matias Kalwill.

Comic book
Kalwill’s FIERA comic book which is set in Red Hook and follows the adventures of two kids, a robot, and a wolf will be featured in the exhibit. There will also be posters of the different characters in the FIERA comic book.

The exhibit features a FIERA arcade game called Ride or Die which includes many of Red Hook’s landmarks. There are also be two old-school arcade games: Asteroids and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Though Ride or Die may give off old-school vibes, it is energy efficient. Kalwill is interested in getting feedback from the community and incorporating that into another FIERA video game he is making. In addition to the arcade games, there will be board games.

I got a chance to play Ride or Die and assure you that it is fun as much asit is an homage to video game pioneers. Patch is a great character that appears throughout the video games and publications. The event is going to be a lot of fun and it also provides an opportunity to support local artists including Kalwill.