As I work to catch up on blogging – the last week or so having been focused on building-out an island home for a very dear and close friend – I’ve found I’ve a wealth of exhibitions demanding my attention. As such, I cannot promise to get to them all before they close, but I’m going to start here with a look at a first-time public exhibition for someone who have been involved in Second Life for many years, but who has only now been encouraged to display her avatar-centric photography.
As ever, that encouragement has come from Dido Haas, owner and curator of Nitroglobus Roof Gallery. Dido has a natural talent for – if not discovering, then certainly gently encouraging – artist who have never previously exhibited their work in-world to an audience of strangers to a point where they are comfortable with the idea of doing so.
The artist in question here is Polly Reina, at the time of writing a 17+ year veteran of Second Life. Polly has been involved in Flickr since 2010, and her photography, whilst avatar-centric, also folds into landscapes – notably of Tempura Island, where she is also an estate officer -, whilst also flowing from colour to monochrome collections and pieces and back.
With Just Polly, which is being hosted within The Annex at Nitroglobus, we have a thoroughly engaging collection of Polly’s monochrome self-studies, each one genuinely rich in narrative whilst also highly persona, offering a depth of emotions, moods and self-awareness that is utterly captivating. Whilst I could witter on at length and it, I’ll instead allow Polly to describe the collection in her own succinct words:
This exhibition is not just about capturing an image; it’s about feeling it … an intimate journey of self-representation in Second Life, translating emotions, moods, and identity into this space … where each image is a reflection of feeling, movement, and presence, brought to life … This showcase is not just about visual aesthetics but about the silent dialogue between self-perception and my expression. It’s about stepping into different versions of myself, embracing vulnerability, confidence, and the unspoken emotions woven into every image.
– Polly Reina
Thus, what we have here is a series of images which reveal so much through the selection of poses, camera angles and focus. Each of them carry a beautiful transposition of the thoughts, the emotions and feeling of the very real person behind the lens of the camera; a person who genuinely sees her avatar not as an expression of whom she might like to be (as can so often be the case in our relationships with our avatars) or a character intended to fulfil a role, but as an extension of who she is within the physical world.
These are piece that will fully and naturally speak to all of us who view our avatars the same way as Polly whilst at the same time offering a masterclass in photographic composition and the power of black-and-white to convey the artist’s thoughts for those who also enjoy photography from a technical as well as artistic perspective.
Given this, Just Polly is both personal and highly accessible – and as such, I’ll spare you any further blithering on my part here, and earnestly encourage you to pay Just Polly a visit.
SLurl Details
- Just Polly, The Annex at Nitroglobus (Sunshine Homestead, rated Moderate)
Inara Pey: Living in a Modemworld 