The Linden Homes in Bellisseria lend themselves to many uses beyond that of home; people have turned them into clubhouses, pubs, cafés group meeting points, museums and galleries. In the latter regard they can be particularly attractive, in that their limited internal space means that they are ideal for what I’ve started calling “pocket exhibitions” – small exhibitions of art that are easy to visit and take in within a cosy environment and which don’t overwhelm visitors in terms of the size or number of pieces on display.
One of the people who has especially leveraged her Linden Home as a gallery space is the incredibly talented and giving Owl Dragonash. Having turned her home into the Hoot Suite Gallery, she uses it to invite artists from across Second Life to exhibit within in for a period of around a month, and February 2021 see her hosting The Many Shades of Blues, a pocket-sized exhibition by anther of Second Life’s talents: musician and artist Blues Rocker.
Perhaps regarding himself first and foremost a Second Life Landscape artist, Blues is far more; as this exhibition ably demonstrates. Carefully brought together under the exhibition’s title is a selection of pieces that richly presents the full spectrum of Blues’ artistry, with individual pieces carrying the subliminal theme contained within the exhibition’s title: shades (or tints in some cases) of blue.
Found across the two floors of the gallery are avatar studies, photo portraits of physical world musicians, reflections on Second Life’s rich diversity of art that includes images of pieces by Mistero Hifeng and a marvellous portrait of Bryn Oh that, as well as combining the themes of portraiture and art in SL, capture the essence of Bryn’s creative spirit as expressed through her avatar. In addition, some of the pieces contain layered artistic references and / or pay homage to art as a whole.
The latter is perfectly demonstrated in The Bridge of Sighs, located on the gallery’s ground floor. Its title evokes thoughts of the bitter romance of the Ponte dei Sospiri bridge in Venice, whilst also evoking thoughts of he songs by Ralph McTell and Robin Trower, thus reflecting Blues’ own status as a musician. At the same time, with its rendering of the Golden Gate Bridge presented in an impressionist style, it both demonstrates Blues’ love of painting and adds an expression of the beauty to be found in man-made works, calling to mind as it does the many photos of that bridge caught within the white blanket of low-lying cloud or peeking through San Francisco’s famed fog.
A further demonstration to Blues’ passion for art can be found in Acoma Pueblo, New Mexico. An evocative piece, it carries within it a wonderful homage to the artistry of van Gogh, whilst across the room from it Once in a Blue Moon again combines romance and song within a photograph that captures the magnificent natural desolation of our natural satellite and on the floor lies a rug by Blues that encapsulates abstractionism in its expression.
Small it size but overflowing in expression The Many Shades of Blues will, I believe remain open through the rest of February 2021, and definitely should not be missed.
SLurl Details
- Hoot Suite Gallery (Ruthsburg, rated Moderate)
Inara Pey: Living in a Modemworld 