Second Life photographer-artist Raven Arcana is, in my opinion, one of the most expressive artists exhibiting her work within the platform. I’ve covered her work – both individual exhibitions and as part of ensemble exhibitions – in these pages, and always appreciate the opportunity to see her work. This being the case, it was off to Atelier des Images – Gallery Gadot, operated and curated by Aurelie Gadot Costanza, to witness Raven’s latest work.
Ends and New Beginnings is a visual essay, richly expressive and poignant in the way the individual images can trigger responses and / or suggest a story in its own right whilst remaining part of the broader narrative Raven paints.
These poetic monochromatic Landscapes take you on a Journey, from the Ending to a new Beginning. Discover Landscapes that express Loss, Solitude or even Hope. You might find your own Story within them.
– Raven Arcana, Ends and New Beginnings
As Raven notes, these are images intended to express emotions and feelings, something reflected in their evocative names as well as their depictions – Broken; Empty Places, Growth. Each has a single focus within the scene it presents, such as a fallen lighthouse or a tree, whilst bent, standing firm against the passage of time and wind as it edges towards maturity.
Combined with their monochromic nature, the titles of these pieces cause them to resonate with the observer and draw one in, encouraging both our emotions and our imaginations. Each has its own unique voice such that I’m not going to offer interpretations here; what they have to say even much depends on how we approach them: what we’re feeling; how life is affecting us at the point in time we visit; perhaps even encouraging a contemplation of things we would rather keep hidden, and in doing so offer catharsis.
Catharsis might be a term applied to the broader story offered through the entire collection. In this, I would suggest following the exhibition from the right-side entrance as you face it. Bordered to the left by a quote on endings and beginnings by English poet Jennifer Birchall and At the End – a piece by Raven which, among a collection of expressive pieces, I found to be particularly powerful in its imagery.
From this entrance, one can progress around the exhibition from right through centre and then left, and in doing so, allow the individual voices present in the pieces work to become a choir, their voices reaching a crescendo as one arrives at Raven’s images New Beginnings and Tranquillity, together with New Beginning, a poem by American poet Colleen Courtney. This form a final verse – or chapter – of the story; one filled with the promise that, for all of us, there is the promise held within the opening quote from Birchall.
In all, Ends and New Beginnings is a beautiful collection of work, its expressive depth certain to touch all who visit. And, should you wish to keep alive the memory of the entire exhibition, the entire collection has been put together in in-world book form by Raven, offered for sale alongside the individual prints.
SLurl Details
- Atelier des Images – Gallery Gadot (Bjorn, rated Moderate)
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