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VRAL is currently presenting The Death Trilogy by Adonis Archontides, a triptych of works starring his ersatz Sim-clones. To better appreciate the breadth and scope of his work, we are discussing his Sims-based oeuvre. We continue our exploration with the in-game performance Adonis and the Labour of Artistic Production. This project stands out as one of the most inventive integrations of The Sims within an avant-garde context to date, where the processes of art-making and video game mechanics are seamlessly intertwined, creating a fruitful dialogue.

Adonis and the Labour of Artistic Production (2017-2018) centers on the personal and artistic journey of Adonis Archontides during his virtual art residency within The Sims 4, as captured through a series of Instagram posts. The project – which began in December 2017 and concluded in February 2018, in preparation of Archontides’ first solo exhibition, which opened on February 22nd, 2018 – explores themes of artistic creation, the transient nature of beauty and inspiration, and the interplay between personal life, gaming interactions, and creative expression. During his virtual residency, Adonis investigated the essence of artistic labor and the impact of the environment on creativity, sharing interesting insights into his artistic process. Like Marshall McLuhan, Adonis seems to share the idea that media – video games included – create environments, rather than just “content” or “messages”.

Like the subsequent work, Adonis and Adonis and Adonis and Adonis and Adonis and Adonis and Adonis and Wade and the Effort of Consciousness, Adonis and the Labour of Artistic Production relies on digital platforms to chronicle the construction of identity and reality in virtual or digitally mediated environments. However, while the former focuses on the multiplicity of self and philosophical explorations within a simulated game world, the latter engages more with the physicality of the artistic process and its documentation in real-time, offering a more intimate look at the everyday life and productive cycles of an artist. Together, both projects showcase Adonis’s ongoing interest in merging life and art with digital means, continually pushing the boundaries on how art is created, experienced, and discussed in the age of video games.

The residency was cleverly narrated through a series of posts on Instagram. Adonis and the Labour of Artistic Production developed in stages, from…

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Matteo Bittanti

Works cited

Adonis Archontides

Adonis and the Labour of Artistic Production

Performance documentation in The Sims 4, screenshots, Instagrams posts, 2017-2018

All images courtesy of Adonis Archontides

Adonis Archontides, Adonis and the Labour of Artistic Production, Performance documentation in The Sims 4, screenshots, Instagrams posts, 2017-2018

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VRAL is currently presenting The Death Trilogy by Adonis Archontides, a tryptic of works starring his ersatz Sim-clones. To better appreciate the breadth and scope of this artwork, we are discussing his oeuvre. We continue our exploration with the in-game performance Adonis and Adonis and Adonis and Adonis and Adonis and Adonis and Adonis and Wade and the Effort of Consciousness.

Also known as Adonis x7 and Wade and the Effort of Consciousness, this project can be compared to a Socratic dialogue taking place within The Sims 4, where Adonis had created multiple Sim replicas of himself. This specific setting is a virtual environment operating as, “a microcosm of capitalist society”. In other words, The Sims 4 is the conduit through which Adonis can reflect upon societal norms and behaviors through a controlled, simulated environment where variables and parameters can be manipulated at will, thus serving as a laboratory for broader cultural and social commentary.

The interlocutor is a character named Wade, an interviewer who engages in a discussion with these various iterations of Adonis. Wade serves as a narrative device who helps elucidate the philosophical and artistic ideas being explored by Adonis in his project. This character could therefore be seen as a stand-in for the audience or an external observer, offering responses and questions that help deepen the exploration of the themes discussed. Wade is essential in facilitating the dialogue that bridges the virtual experiences within The Sims and deeper existential and artistic concepts evoked by Adonis and his replicas.

In the conversation with his clones, Adonis proposes using video games as an artistic medium rather than mere entertainment, emphasizing their empathetic potential and immersive capabilities. According to Adonis, digital games are primarily spaces, rather than stories. And they are tools rather than products. Above all, they foster a deep understanding and connection to different human conditions, which is something that only art can achieve. This is why Adonis mentions his 2014 thesis in which he explored in depth the notion of video games as art. Adonis x7 and Wade and the Effort of Consciousness is, in many ways, an update that further develops three major themes.

The first is the notion that virtual worlds can be conceived as artistic spaces for experimentation and exploration of aesthetic and philosophical concepts. Adonis argues, through his many alter egos, that games like The Sims allow for unique forms of storytelling and artistic expression. The artist suggests that these platforms can be used to stage performances and installations, such as his residency project involving the world of Eos from Final Fantasy XV. In fact, video games allow artists to transcend concrete and geographical limitations. Unlike IRL galleries or performance spaces, virtual environments allow…

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Matteo Bittanti

Works cited

Adonis Archontides

Adonis x7 and Wade and the Effort of Consciousness

Performance within The Sims 4, stills, text, 2019.