Today I’m shining a spotlight on the art of Raven Arcana, a Second life photographer-artist whose work I’ve seen featured a some ensemble exhibitions, but until June 2023, hadn’t really had the opportunity to focus on her work in these pages. That was when her themed exhibition Destination Unknown opened at Artsville Galleries – although again, time being what it is, I also didn’t actually get the opportunity to write-up that exhibit at the time of its opening. However, at the time of writing this piece it remains available to visitors for a while longer, and so is touched upon here as well.
Raven’s primary gallery space is located with her own region of Clandestine, which is also dedicated to the Digital Arts Gallery, a collective of SL artists and bloggers. Thus, Raven’s gallery can either be reached directly or via the teleport area available at the DAG event space, which also provides access to other galleries and locations within the region (which are outside the scope of this article). For ease of reference, all SLurls to places specifically mentioned here can be found at the end of this article, rather than also being embedded in the text, per my usual approach.
Occupying a 2-storey space set within its own skybox, Raven’s Eye Gallery offers a rich introduction to Raven’s photography for those who might not be familiar with it. At the time of my visit, the lower floor presented a diverse selection of Raven’s landscape photography, with all of the images beautifully evocative whilst demonstrating an eye for framing that within some rightly eschews so-called “golden rules” of composition in favour of a broader and more fitting artistic balance.
These are images which also demonstrate Raven’s talent for post-processing and effect, with some finished with photograph-like clarity and others treated to resemble watercolours or oils. A particular attractiveness in some of the latter lay in the way Raven has captured the spirit of the Impressionist and Romance landscape painters, the style and finish selected by Raven for each piece is perfectly matched to its focus and subject.
The landscapes continue on the upper floor – which at the time of my visit was only partially laid out – but are mixed with pieces that are more thematically inclined. Future Sunset, for example, would appear to offer a direct link to Destination Unknown, itself a powerful selection of pieces focused on climate change / global warming and the inherent threat they contain to life and civilisation. Meanwhile, When Fiction Becomes Reality presents a powerful commentary on the (predominantly patriarchal) suppression of women’s rights, whilst Biker’s Paradise offers an unapologetic celebration of the freedom and joy to be found travelling the open road.
I’m not sure how much longer Destination Unknown will remain open to the public – my apologies to Raven for not previously covering it in these pages; as such I’d recommend a visit alongside a trip to Raven’s Eye Gallery during August 2023, in the hope you get to see it before the next exhibition replaces it at Artsville. That said, make no mistake, a visit to Raven’s Eye is well worth the time for anyone with an appreciation for art.
SLurl Details
Note that Clandestine is rated Adult.
- Raven’s Eye Gallery (Clandestine)
- Digital Arts Gallery (Clandestine)
- Artsville Galleries and Community (Caribbean Ocean, rated Moderate) – see Gallery 3.
Inara Pey: Living in a Modemworld 