ExhiBIT: The Museum of Sifu
We usually talk about what we play, but today we’re into displays. #museum #exhibition #art #videogame
Welcome back to Artcade, the display case housing a mysterious object. You read the label and realize you’re actually at the supermarket, staring at the price of frozen goods. Not everything is art—though, if you ask me, fries ready in five minutes should go straight to MoMA.
Surprised by the arrival of a new series? Admit it—you were expecting another World Tour episode, maybe following the one about Alaska’s Iñupiat. Instead, here we are, launching ExhiBIT, (for those unaware, bits are the stuff dreams video games are made of).
Have you ever noticed how many museums appear in video games? And where better to take a guided tour of these virtual museums than here at Artcade? Let’s grab our group tickets and get started. Enjoy the read!
The Museum has a large, classic entrance. Maybe it’s the late hour—we arrived at 9:44 PM—but there are only two security guards to talk to. They say we can’t go in. Well, that problem was resolved quickly.
As you can see from the map (image below), there are three exhibitions corresponding to different floors.
There’s no one at the audio guide desk, so we’ll have to make do with a self-guided tour. The collection on the first floor begins with a strange optical illusion.
Nearby is an introduction to the exhibit:
IDENTITY
Embark on a journey with Artists who want to express, esplore and question the concepts of personality and individuality, and what it means to them in today’s ever changing-world.
A tired theme—let’s hope for the best. We begin with a statue of despair. Is self-discovery the horror of our times?
Could this despairing statue simply be Rodin’s The Thinker after reaching his conclusions?
We’ll leave that question unanswered and move on. The first floor includes obscured faces, an eye/identity motif, and… a ribbon.
Then, there’s that one guy in every museum who stands directly in front of the screen watching the videos. Let’s head upstairs before I lose my patience.
CYCLE
Inspiration is a loop. From the model to the artist. Infused into the work, then presented to the viewer.Through this selection of recent acquisitions, The Museum invites you to seek out and adopt your own models. It’s your time to become an artist.
The cycle—another classic museum concept. It lends itself to many interpretations, so expectations are high. Unfortunately, there’s always the pitfall of “now you be the artist.” Fingers crossed as we enter the first room.
Colored panels, colored lightbulbs… visitors falling asleep from boredom.
Better move to the next room (image below), where a pendulum drips ink onto the floor without adequate protection. Someone got hit and is lying on the ground.
Yet back in 2016, Sun Yuan and Peng Yu’s Can’t Help Myself featured a robotic arm tirelessly containing red liquid. When it was shown at the Biennale three years later, protective barriers surrounded it. You can tell from the splatter marks in the photos.
Sifu Museum, we need to talk about safety. Let’s head to the top floor.
TWINS
Great art is often duplicated, copied, referenced. Artists working on series and variations of the same theme are the core of this display.Will you choose to look at the subtle differences, or focus on the uncanny similarities?
Reading the intro, I thought of Andy Warhol—and in fact, there’s something akin to his Marilyn Monroe series here.
Ultimately, Sifu’s Museum suffers from being a modern-art-only collection. As it often happens, some pieces stand out, but most are forgettable. Maybe that’s normal—there hasn’t yet been the test of time.
If you want a deeper dive into the exhibit’s meanings and its connection to the game’s lore, check out Eric B’s excellent article on Medium. It’ll make you appreciate the work behind the displays.
Getting back to our tour, some of the best pieces are in the stairwells, like the sliced shark, which recalls the techniques used in Body Worlds. (I’ll just leave the link, as plastinated human bodies may not be easy for everyone to view.)
If you find yourself in Sifu, The Museum is worth a visit. Just remember not to get too close to the paintings.
Sloclap (2022) Sifu [Video game] [Beat 'em up] [8 Hours] (Playstation 5) [Windows, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One/Series X/S, Playstation 4] Sloclap, Kepler Interactive
My last two coins
I enjoy visiting museums—that much is clear. What I love most is the density of meaning: the paintings in the collection, each object, sometimes even the walls themselves carry tons of history, travel, and thought.
That doesn’t mean everything is beautiful. In fact, some pieces make me downright angry. I often wonder: Wasn’t there a more interesting way to fill this space? What is this?
When that happens, it’s probably my fault—beauty in those cases is hiding in the blind spot of my ignorance. That’s part of art’s charm: some works strike like lightning, others feel like a waste of time. Keep that in mind when wandering through an exhibit. If you hate something, that’s okay.
Until the next episode, ciao!