Afterfire
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Amélie Mckee and Melle Nieling
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Plicnik Space InitiativeLondon, England, GB
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Press Release

It’s an especially sunny day for October, yet I find myself inside. I’m dusting off my mom’s old Windows XP laptop for a light-hearted sesh of nostalgia. I open The Sims, my save file, which is now over twenty years old, is pristinely preserved on the hard drive. Booting into my ‘most recent’ plot, I find a modded house, modelled after Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich’s “Amusement Palace.” My character is Stalin—historically accurate, as he once made the ‘miniature’ palace, located on the wall of the Kremlin, his domicile—I make him do the dishes.


Alexei’s son, Peter—AKA the Great—engaged himself in a similar form of play as me. At the royal lodge, he commanded an army of playmates, dubbed his “toy army,” drilling them in mock manoeuvres and parades. Child’s play hardened into something more serious; the boys eventually became some of the most disciplined soldiers in the Russian Empire. In this context, play was a dress rehearsal for sovereignty. Just as I move Stalin from room to room and…

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Exhibition Space
Minor Attractions, The Mandrake, 20-21 Newman Street, London W1T 1PG, UK
View all exhibitions in... London, England, GB
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verified Complete entry
Created by mellenieling on Apr 13, 2026 at 21:48
Edited by mellenieling on Apr 13, 2026 at 22:02
Edits: 3
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Afterfire
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Press Release

It’s an especially sunny day for October, yet I find myself inside. I’m dusting off my mom’s old Windows XP laptop for a light-hearted sesh of nostalgia. I open The Sims, my save file, which is now over twenty years old, is pristinely preserved on the hard drive. Booting into my ‘most recent’ plot, I find a modded house, modelled after Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich’s “Amusement Palace.” My character is Stalin—historically accurate, as he once made the ‘miniature’ palace, located on the wall of the Kremlin, his domicile—I make him do the dishes.


Alexei’s son, Peter—AKA the Great—engaged himself in a similar form of play as me. At the royal lodge, he commanded an army of playmates, dubbed his “toy army,” drilling them in mock manoeuvres and parades. Child’s play hardened into something more serious; the boys eventually became some of the most disciplined soldiers in the Russian Empire. In this context, play was a dress rehearsal for sovereignty. Just as I move Stalin from room to room and…

More expand_more
Exhibition Space
Minor Attractions, The Mandrake, 20-21 Newman Street, London W1T 1PG, UK
View all exhibitions in... London, England, GB
Represent Plicnik Space Initiative? Claim your institution page, lock edits to your exhibitions, and track audience engagement across your full program.
Artwork Checklist
View artwork
Amélie Mckee and Melle Nieling
More Exhibitions at Plicnik Space Initiative
View exhibition
UPCOMING
Opens May 08, 2026
Plicnik Space InitiativeLondon, England, GB
Similar Exhibitions
View exhibition
ON VIEW
Through Apr 18, 2026
Union PacificLondon, England, GB
View exhibition
ON VIEW
Through May 09, 2026
EmalinLondon, England, GB
View exhibition
Mar 06, 2026 — Apr 11, 2026
Public GalleryLondon, England, GB
View exhibition
Mar 19, 2026 — Apr 11, 2026
LUmkALondon, England, GB
View exhibition
Feb 06, 2026 — Mar 21, 2026
SeventeenLondon, England, GB
More
Guestbook
All comments: 0
Nobody has signed the guestbook yet. Want to be the first to leave a comment?
Metadata
verified Complete entry
Created by mellenieling on Apr 13, 2026 at 21:48
Edited by mellenieling on Apr 13, 2026 at 22:02
Edits: 3
Views:
Claims
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