Category: Art in Second Life

It’s been a while since I’ve had the pleasure of visiting an exhibition of art by Thus Yootz; and to be honest with things being what they have been of late, I likely came perilously close to missing this one, considering it originally opened some two months ago at the Kondor Arts Centre, curated and operated by Hermes Kondor!

Hauling from Greece, Thus studied for a BA and MA in art over 5 years at the Athens School of Fine Arts, studying under masters such as Christakis Tassos, and has enjoyed success down the years exhibiting her art in the physical world. In joining Second Life, Thus has – like many of us – tried her hands at numerous activities: region designer, content creator, photographer, wedding planner and artist, demonstrating her love of expression and creativity.

As one might expect given her qualifications and creativity, Thus’ art is richly diverse in its influences and presentation, something which guarantees those visiting her exhibitions will be well rewarded for doing so. With this exhibition – which so far as I could tell is untitled – this diversity of influence and style is much in evidence.

Spread across the lobby entrance and main floor of the gallery hall, the exhibition presents 16 large format pieces, the majority of which lean towards abstract, where colour and geometry rule more than form and reality. Even in images that carry recognisable elements – a boat, trees, buildings, and so on – there is something otherworldly in how they are presented; as if we are being lifted to a higher plane of existence  / awareness in which the familiar is made new.

Some of the pieces carry an interesting oriental lean, giving them an interesting cultural mix as they bring together hints of classical oriental life – lanterns, older buildings, painted calligraphy – but seen through a modernistic lens suggestive of computer lines, neon, and digital extraction. In doing so, they become a perfect representation of how one might imagine far eastern countries embrace both the modern and their long histories.

Thus, all of these pieces are dynamic, both it terms of their form and presentation and in what they say to us, from eliciting admiration for their sheer artistry and emotional content (Fury, Lavender Meadows and Japanese Red) through aforementioned cultural blending (perhaps most noticeably – but not limited to – Walking Down that Musical Road, Her World and Neon Melody), to even whispered commentary of the depth and beauty of nature (Explosive Flowers as it illustrates the intense beauty and colour of nature here on Earth in a manner that could be said to reflect the beauty of the cosmos around as seen via gas clouds and nebulae).

In all, another stunning selection of art – but do be sure to hop over to see it sooner rather than later. And my apologies to Thus for my tardiness in doing so myself!

SLurl Details

• Kondor Art Centre (Royal Tea, rated Adult)

Jules  Neville (Jules Catlyn), co-owner of Andante Gallery along with Iris Okiddo (IrisSweet), invited me to visit their latest exhibition, featuring the work of Burleh Leonard, entitled Liquid Landscapes.

Until this exhibition, I hadn’t come across Burleh’s work, and having now visited, I have to say I’ve been missing out. His work is predominantly focused on Second Life landscapes, offering unique and captivating views of the diversity and beauty of SL locations, touched with the use of preferred EEP settings / post-processing techniques.

This is very much the case with Liquid Landscapes, a curated series of Burleh’s work. Across 19 images, he takes us on a tour of some of Second Life’s public spaces, capturing them through the lens of his camera and the eye of his imagination to present views that offer their subjects in the richest of colours through to the clarity of monochrome.

Each image invites the eye to admire and entices the eye to visit its subject. In this, it is a pity SLurls to all of the locations are not included with the pictures (something many of us are guilty of when exhibiting our work!). However, SLurls can be obtained through Burleh’s Flickr stream, from which the images are drawn, for those wishing to visit any given location (the sometimes transient nature of SL locations allowing!).

These very much are images by a photographer-artist exceptionally comfortable with both his subjects and the tools at his disposal, allowing him to frame moments in time and places with which we might well be familiar, in a manner that might well be very different to how they appear to the naked eye on visiting them. However, all of them nevertheless capture the spirit of their subjects and entice us to look at them anew.

In all, a superb exhibition well suited to Andante’s modest size and layout (utilising mirrored copies of the excellent Apple Fall Country Hall (a building I’ve in the past similarly modified to create a comfortable home), which allows art to be displayed in a manner that naturally encourages time to be spent with each image and without any single piece feeling like it is being crowded out by those around it demanding their share of our attention at the same time.

SLurl Details

• Andante Gallery (Amityville, rated Adult)

In January 2026, and on the recommendation of Cube Republic, I dropped into Whithermere, a Homestead region designed by Dargason L’Ardente (rlhaydenfield) as both her home and a public space open to visitors. I was immediately taken by the setting, finding it a rich, evocative and highly photogenic, as noted in Of Whithermere’s ancient beauty in Second Life.

Unsurprisingly, given the region’s beauty and sense of peace, I’m not the only one who has been drawn into its sheer beauty and touches of fantasy. Take Sethos Lionheart for example: he has been so captivated by the region and Dargason’s work that he has dedicated an entire exhibition to the region’s beauty in the form of Woodland Reverie, which opened at Mareea Farrasco’s IMAGO Art Gallery on April 15th, 2026.

In Whithermere, Dargason L’Ardente has created a woodland sanctuary of remarkable beauty and enchantment. The region unfolds through winding paths, shaded glades, waterfalls, streams, and hidden woodland spirits, offering visitors a place that feels both immersive and touched by quiet magic. At its heart lies Sedany Woods, shaped by Dar’s vision as the designer behind Moss & Fern Landscape Design. Her work reveals a rare gift for creating landscapes that feel alive—places of wonder, stillness, and discovery, where every turn of the path invites deeper wandering.

– Sethos Lionheart on Whithermere

Set out in 20 images, each perfectly framed, edited and carefully enhanced through the considered use of post-processing, Sethos’ images bring home the richness and depth of Whithermere so vividly, the desire to go from the exhibition to the region exerts a powerful pull. This is further encouraged by the provision of a landmark to Whithermere within the notecard accompanying the exhibition (touch the introductory wall, complete with a portrait of Dargason herself (which forms the 21st image in the collection)).

However, as well as celebrating Whithermere, these are images which speak to an artist dedicated to his work, who uses the tools at his disposal – Second Life, EEP settings, post-processing techniques – to craft images that both capture the heart and spirit of the locations they depict and offer a unique perspective on those locations, coloured by his eye and the mood invoked within him on capturing them. Thus, Woodland Reverie speaks both to Dargason’s considerable skill as a landscape creator and to Sethos’ own skills are an interpreter of such landscapes through the lens of his imagination and mood.

In all, a most excellent exhibition and homage to Whithermere, and one well worth visiting.

SLurl Details

• IMAGO Art Gallery (Fantasy Shores, rated Moderate)