Ego as art in Second Life

Saturday, May 23rd, saw the opening of a new exhibition at the CBK Art Gallery, operated by Ceakay (CK) Ballyhoo. I was sadly unable to attend the event due to other commitments, so hopped over at the start of the week to have a look at the exhibition.

Ego – Being Your Own Muse features the work of a number of SL artists, who were all challenged to offer images featuring themselves as the models / subjects – hence the title of the exhibit. The participating artists are Whimsical Aristocrat, Seductive Dreamscape, AngelinaKnox, Coober Galicia, Daallee and Owl Dragonash of The Living Room fame, and CK herself.

The resulting works are all offered for display in a garden-like environment, with each artist having his or her own summer house in which their pictures are displayed. This not only gives an inviting and relaxed environment for the exhibition as one wanders through the garden under a suitable windlight setting, it also means that each artist’s works can be studied without the temptation to directly compare one artist with another by checking back and forth and getting caught up in technique, approach, etc.

As a result of this, the visitor is free to focus on how each artists views their own avatar; and it is surprising as to just how much can be revealed through the images that are offered. While little in the way of criteria was offered, other than asking the artists to use themselves as their model / inspirations, it is interesting as to the number of nude / semi-nude pictures are are offered (which make this exhibit perhaps a little NSFW, although all the pieces are very artistic in nature).

I commented on this to CK, who replied, “Well, I think most people in here like the way they have shaped their own bodies, and they’re best to be viewed naked. I myself am very keen on how my ass looks for example!”

That is a fair and accurate assessment. In many respects our avatars can be a huge statement of self and self-image, and we often do invest considerable time, effort and money in how they look, so why not show them at nature’s best. There’s also something strongly emotional about nude and semi-nude images which can express far more than might be the case were the model to be fully clothed, and this is also captured within the images on display here.

Which is not to say all the pictures figure nudes; far from it. Coober Galicia, the only male artist in the exhibition, for example, presents a series of powerful, character-driven images (even if one is admittedly sitting nude in the saddle 🙂 ), which I found myself especially drawn to; while Owl’s images display her delightful whimsy and outgoing nature.

All told, a charming and worth seeing exhibition that will be open through until the end of June. When visiting, do remember to take a walk through the gates on one side of the gallery area and explore the wonderful Mistwood Isle woods CK has created, or take a ride on a floating dandelion seed!

Additional Links

• CBK Art Gallery SLurl (Rated: Adult)