The Studio Game portrays an art world in danger of imploding. The book makes light of how young artists struggle for recognition and discusses the contemporary art world's fascination for conceptual work. The Studio Game is a tale of young love and an insider's take on the eccentricities of our present-day art world. Guy Poynting's lover is dead and she has left 58 artworks that are increasing in price each day. Guy's mission is to satisfy his lover's last wishes and destroy all 58 pieces, before the last one can be sold for the most astronomical sum of all. Liska and Guy suspect that an artist cannot be considered truly great until he or she is dead. At least — some kind of suicidal statement would be just the thing to propel their work from obscurity into the infamous A-List of the art world. With their work completed, Liska and Guy attempt to immortalise themselves by following many of the greats to an early grave. Guy loses his courage however, and he's left alive and able to see how Liska's work is valued after her death. Set in contemporary galleries, studios and offices, The Studio Game portrays an art world in danger of imploding. The book makes light of how young artists struggle for recognition and discusses the contemporary art world's fascination for conceptual work. Popular works of art are referenced throughout, offering a running commentary on a story that is both a tale of young love and an insider's take on the eccentricities of our present-day art world.
