Category: Art in Second Life

The Edge, Kultivate’s black-and-white gallery, re-opened on January 20th, 2019, with a new ensemble exhibition.

Also now housed in a new building – the rest of the Fanatik unit utilised by the Windlight Gallery which re-opened earlier in January – the exhibition is unthemed for the re-opening and presents the work of Roxaane Daniels (Roxaane Fyanucci), Vee Tammas Shocker (Veruca Tammas), Kody Meyers (KodyMeyers), Sabine Mortenwold, Maaddi Benazzi (maaddi), JudiLynn (JudiLynn India), Anouk Lefavre, Reycharles Resident, and John Brianna (johannes1977).

The range of images is broad: avatar self-studies, drawings, original paintings rendered as monochrome images, Second Life landscapes and photographs from the physical world. As such, this makes for an engaging exhibition.

Of the artists and images on display, I admit to being drawn to the work of Reycharles Resident on the upper level of the building. These are richly evocative studies, vital in their execution; there is a depth of life about them that is intense and captivating.

Similarly, Kody Meyers  – as usual – offers a series of studies that are rich in narrative and beautifully posed and created. Kody’s colour work is always extraordinary, but here in black and white, there is something very special about them that kept drawing my attention back to his work.

Alongside of Kody’s pieces are five pen / pencil drawings by Sabine Mortenwold. Like Reycharles’ pictures, there is a strength of raw beauty about them that capture one’s attention – particularly the two landscapes.

But the truth is, the entire mix of art in this exhibition makes for worthwhile viewing, and it will be available for at least the next month.

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• The Edge Gallery (Water Haven, rated: Moderate)

I recently received an invitation from Gem Preiz to visit his new Fractal Art Gallery. As regulars to these pages will know, I am a huge admirer of Gem’s work; not only is his fractal art fabulously complex, covers everything from the natural (entire worlds!) down to the architecture of future (and past) imagined civilisations, but also because he also tends to develop his art along thematic lines. Many of his installations offer a narrative (The Anthropic Principle, No Frontiers, Heritage: Wrecks and Heritage Vestiges all being examples of this) he also uses his art to ponder a raise of questions, be they scientific, philosophical, environmental or some combination thereof (Rhapsody in Blue Fractals, Metropolis, and Sapiens all being three such examples).

In this latter regard – narrative and thought – witnessing Gem’s art in a more traditional gallery setting can mean that the subtext of said narrative and thought might be lost. However, what is always present is the sheer grace and beauty of his art, every piece of which whether previously encountered as a part of a themed installation or being seen for the first time, is a masterpiece of execution, depth, style, and composition.

The new gallery space Gem has created for his work is in keeping with the broader themes of much of his work, presenting a futuristic space around which stand tall silver-grey towers with black elements within resembling windows. Spread across multiple levels within the gallery are somewhere around 120 individual pieces, making this a tour de force of his work, and it is quite easy to spend a far amount of time simply admiring the pieces and getting caught within the intricacies of their design.

To help with the context mentioned above, pieces have been grouped together – there is a hall for Gem’s fractal planets, for example, a bay for images created for / used within Metropolis, a selection of pieces used within / created for Sapiens on the outer walls of another hall space – which itself contains pieces from his Myths collection, and so on. Meanwhile, each of the four  main walls of the structure is dominated by a large format version of one of Gem’s pieces, presented as they might be seen within one of his installations and which demonstrate the sheer majesty of his art.

All of the pieces are offered for sale, either by clicking them directly or using the vendor displays found on the lower level of the gallery. Movement between levels is easily achieved via escalator and / or teleport station – the latter being located throughout the gallery.

Gem’s art remains an outstanding presentation of the beauty of fractal art, and his new gallery is well worth a visit.

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• Gem Preiz Fractal Art Gallery (Morag, rated: General)

Located close to the channel connecting Blake Sea with Second Norway lies Foliage, a Homestead region noted for the presence of the Foliage airstrip and the Art Gallery Sky Hye, both of which are distinctive in the use of Art Deco style buildings designed by region holder Transparent Banshee (who also presents the neighbouring and massive Greenhouse next door).

The Art Gallery Sky Hye is home to the work of physical world artist and teacher / animator Sky Hye.  Within it she presents a modest selection of her work in various styles and mediums, complete with explanatory text that provides insight into the techniques used to produce the art, thus providing an added layer of creative context to the displays.

The building has a pleasant open plan look with high ceilings featuring a glass archway skylight, and space for a galleried upper level, all of which allows plenty of ambient light within the design. The lower level is divided into three areas. To the left on entering from the landing point give above, are two paintings from a series entitled Threatened Landscapes, and which show two tranquil country settings, either of which could have been painted as much in Second Life as in the physical world. A sculpture by region holder Transparent Banshee sits directly before the paintings, and a further sculpture (by Wolk Writer) can be found in the grounds of the gallery.

Split between the lower and upper levels are two displays of monotype images. As the gallery notes state, these are one-off prints created by applying paint of ink to a suitable surface – glass, metal, plastic – then transferring the image to paper via printing press.

The series on the lower level is entitled Sand Treasures, and features paintings of glass fragments, shells and seaweed found on a beach. They are quite exquisite to examine – although given their size, some careful camming is required in order to fully appreciate each in turn. On the upper level, Sky presents an intriguing set of gesture figures, which she notes were painted during a figure drawing marathon prior to being transferred to paper the following day. It is perhaps the aspect of having been produced during a marathon that gives these paintings an added dynamic edge.

Also on the upper level are two paintings produced in 1999 which beautifully illustrate the artist’s skill in classical painting techniques (a further example can also be found in her Second Life profile).

The final display, located on the lower floor, is a series of wash drawings of the male body. These are drawings produced in a monochromatic style using ink or watercolours. For this series, Sky notes she used watercolour and bistre with hand-made and sized 100% linen paper. Again, while requiring some camming to full appreciate, this is again an exquisite series of images which demonstrates both the artist’s eye and skill.

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• Art Gallery Sky Hye (Foliage, rated: Moderate)