My summer 2024 to the Best of Second Life (BOSL) galleries, operated by Regin Congrejo and Jamee Sandalwood allowed me to take in two exhibitions of late – one of which will be closing in mid-August, and the other will run through until the end of August.
The first is another ensemble exhibition held within BOSL’s main gallery and entitled Hello Summer! It features pieces on the theme of summer from Dante Helios (Dantelios), Sheba Blitz, Sabie Mortenwold (Sabine Mortenwold), Evie Ravens (Evelyn Irelund) Broin Ravens (Brian Ravenhurst), and co-host / curator Jamee Sandalwood. With the exception of Sabie Mortenwold, all of the artists present images captured from within Second Life celebrating the passage of the summer months, the majority featuring landscapes, beach scenes, flowers and wildlife.
In addition, all of the artists excepting Sabie, also participated in the Hello Winter! at the gallery, which I covered in December 2023. For her part, Sabi offers a selection of her mixed-media collages uploaded to SL, all of them very much focused on the blossoming flowers of summertime and offering a nice set of contrast to the in-world images from the other artists.
Together, all of the pieces presented by the artists offer a very easy-going exhibition, the décor within the gallery adding to the summer time feel of the pictures, all of which offer a unique appeal and sense of the season.
Down at the Waterfront Café, reached via a walk through the gardens in which the galleries are set, is a small exhibition of work by the ever-excellent Harlo Jamison. Running through until the end of August, this is a collection of just seven images which might also be side to be gathered under the title of “summer”.
Harlo is a multi-faceted; when last I covered her work it was in regards to an avatar-centric, adult-themed exhibition she had put together jointly with Alex Riverstone (see: A Sugarfish Gallery in Second Life). Here she presents what might be consider two sets of landscape pieces which combine as a masterclass of Second Life photography and artistic imagery.
To the left of the gallery space as you enter it, lay four colour pieces, beautifully cropped, framed and present, offering views of Second Life redolent in the colours of summer. From a beautiful shot across an entire region to the single figure of a windmill standing tall before the admiring gaze of visitors, these four pieces are a lesson in the skilled use of the viewer’s camera and of the gentle use of post-processing techniques.
To the right are three pieces sharing the title A Golden Summer. (a forth frame is provided, but at the time of my visit, did not display an image). Once again, they capture scenes richly and evocatively, but the use of post-processing to lend them a sepia tint and sense of deliberate over-exposure results in a trio of pieces that is simply breath-taking.
In all, a thoroughly engaging collection of pieces, and one which nicely balances the ensemble exhibition in the main gallery.
SLurl Details
BOSL Innovation Pavilion is rated Moderate
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