Category: Art in Second Life

I’ve been spending time at the Visions of Art complex of late, looking at the various exhibitions by visiting and hosted artists. Curated and managed by dj12 Magic. What tends to attract me to the complex is the broad diversity of art that has been gathered in a single place, mixed both physical world artistry with that of the purely digital medium of Second Life, offering plenty of scope for me to see work by artists with whom I might not be familiar, and to at times re-acquaint myself with the work of those I know but may not have seen elsewhere for a while.

One of the artists in the former category is Paula Cloudpainter (paula31atnight). Located on the top floor of the building – appropriate, given the subject – she presents The Purpose of Clouds, a series of her physical world digital photographs of cloud formations taken at different times of the day.

Transient, ever-moving at the whim of winds and air currents, there is a wonderful magic about clouds. They can flow across the sky, dappling the ground and water beneath in shadow, allow the Sun or Moon to play peek-a-boo with us – and driven by our imagination, no matter how young or old we are, they can become a thousand different things, however briefly. Looking up at them, we can see everything from grey-white towers reaching majestically into the heavens or great rolling tides of cloudy surf rolling across the sea of the sky or the most fantastic of creatures, by they from the real world or works of fiction or mythology, while towering piles of cumulonimbus can trundle across the horizon like great mobile castles on their way to war, the level reaches dark and threatening. Clouds can even, at times, mimic the look of parts of the world over which they pass, offering fleeting outlines of Great Britain here or Italy’s boot there, a Caribbean like chain of islands somewhere else…

With the canvas of the sky and the aid of the Sun, clouds can also become nature’s unique expressions of art; sky paintings in which colours become layered, and even the apparent strokes of a giant brush can be seen, as cirrus cloud vie with cumulus and alto-cumulus to form exotic landscapes in the sky. Paula captures all of this, together with the sheer grace and beauty clouds have in and of themselves, through the images she presents in The Purpose of Clouds.

These are wonderful reminders of the splendour of nature; and for those willing to let their imaginations flow free, there are perhaps stories to be seen in some. Is that a ghostly bat flying out of and orange-grey sky towards us? Dos the splash of white cloud among the grey and a deep blue sky look like and exotic sea creature hugged the relative safety of a shadowed reef? As we really looking up at a roiling sky of cloud caught in the light of a setting Sun, or are we perhaps hanging above an upside-down world looking at a rolling sea turned orange by its setting Sun?

While the images are perfect for purchase and hanging at home, I couldn’t help but wish that for the purposes of the exhibition, they’d been offered in a larger size, even if that meant fewer pieces (or perhaps using a little more of the central floor space). Doing so would immediate capture the eye with their sheer beauty. Nevertheless, The Purpose of Clouds is a wonderful exhibition deserving of being seen up close, rather than through the page of a blog post.

SLurl Details

• The Purpose of Clouds, Visions of Beauty Art Complex (Whinlatter, rated: Moderate)

Currently open at La Maison d’Aneli Gallery, curated by Aneli Abeyante are two exhibitions, both of which run through until August 16th. The first features Barbara Borromeo and the second, Cherry Manga.

Barbara Borromeo is an artist whose work – much to my shame – was unknown to me until June of 2018, when I gained an introduction to her work. The exhibition at La Maison d’Aneli follows on the heels of that event, and actually contains a number of pieces that were also featured in it as well. However, that there is some repetition doesn’t matter: Barbara’s work is simply extraordinary, and at La Maison, we are additionally treated to more of her physical world art as well.

Several pieces are presented around the walls of the gallery, of which I found myself particularly drawn to Woodstock Hendrix (seen at the top of this article, on the left), and Words Never Said, two remarkable studies full of visual and emotional impact among a tour de force of stunning art that really captures the eye, heart and imagination.

However, it is the main slide show element of the exhibition that really captivates. Using a large screen, Barbara presents a rich cross-section of her portfolio – and it is not to be missed. Photographs and paintings from the physical world are displayed along with images captured from Second Life and – in what makes Barbara’s work fabulous to the eye – collage pieces that appear to combine both Second Life (or at least digital art she has produced) with images from the physical world. Given the number of pieces included in this slide show, use of the provided armchairs is advised – and taking the time to see all of the pieces it has to offer really is worthwhile.

I confess to have fallen for Barbara’s work; her layered collages are among the most creative pieces of artistic expression I’ve seen either in Second Life or the physical world. The compositional work within them is sublime; the subjects evocative and, on occasion, provocative (as art should on occasion be); and the images bring to Second Life the full breadth and deep of a truly extraordinary talent.

Reached via teleport is a skybox featuring 3D art by one of Second Life’s long-standing artists, Cherry Manga, although sadly, she is nowadays rarely active here, preferring to spend her time in the Open Simulator FrancoGrid. As such, opportunities to witness her work in SL are always welcome.

There are actually two teleports to the installation – the teleport disk on the gallery floor, and a poster on the wall. Both deliver you to different sides of the installation, but for convenience, I’d suggest using the disk. Doing so will land you near a selection of Cherry’s art avatars, which she is giving away free. These are located on a cube bearing the legend Freedom and Random Stuff – which I assume refer to the avatars, but might also be the title of the installation itself.

The two primary elements of the installation are side-by-side cubes in which are displayed animated wireframe scenes of marvellous complexity and which could both be taken as commentaries on modern living. The piece on the right (when looking from the side with the free avatars), seems to suggest a figure breaking free from confinement, the overall design of hexagons suggesting he is escaping the hive-like thinking that modern society can demand of us.

To the left, the second cube offers a scene with strong metaphysical elements – and the chance to become a part of it by entering it and clicking on one of the spheres floating within the cube. This piece is perhaps harder to quantify, being strongly subjective. As such, while I have formed an opinion on it,  I’ll leave it to you to visit and to form your own.

A third piece, Freedom, floats and turns above the selection of free avatars. It presents a strong juxtaposition of ideas: the figure may well be floating and “free”, but she retains the chains which may once have confined her. While they are no longer locked or connected to anything, their presence seems to suggest that “freedom” can simply be an illusion – or, more positively – a state of mind to which we can all aspire, and possibly achieve.

Two stunning exhibitions, both of which should be seen before they close on August 16th.

SLurl Details

• La Maison Aneli (Virtual Holland, rated: Moderate)

Mandalas, whether presented as art or an expression of spirituality or as a symbol of the universe or as a result of geometric teasings of fractals, have long fascinated me. The name literally means “circle” in Sanskrit, and within Buddhism and Hinduism the mandala is a spiritual and ritual symbol representative of the cosmos around us.

Within Second Life, an artist who captures everything of the rich context, ritual form, balance and harmony of the mandala in her art is Sheba Blitz, and she is currently the Artist in Residence for August at  InterstellART, where she is presenting Simply Spiritual, featuring several of her mandalas, and more besides.

Sheba draws on numerous sources as inspiration for her mandalas. Some of these may be close to the spiritual origins of the form – Buddhism and Hinduism -, others might be as diverse as western astrology or tarot cards. Whatever the source, she produces these marvellous pieces using gouache, acrylics or metallic paints on either canvas or paper, and the uploaded images offered for display within Second Life lose nothing of the intricate beauty of their production.

One of the most fascinating forms of the mandala is created by Tibetan Buddhists. Called dul-tson-kyil-khor (mandala of coloured powders”), or sandpainting, it is a most intricate ritual that sees the production of the most stunning mandala art that has to be seen to be truly appreciated. None of the pieces produced – generally over the course of several days – survives long after its completion; instead, it is destroyed and the sands used taken to a body of water where they are given up as an offering. The entire process serves as both a metaphor for the “impermanence” of the physical world, and also as a means to reconsecrate the earth and its inhabitants.

In many respects, through their survival beyond the creative process, Sheba’s mandalas also offer a metaphor. However, rather than being representative of the impermanent nature of the physical world, their continuance serves as a reminder of the enduring beauty of the universe in which we reside.

Sheba notes that she didn’t originally come to Second Life to display her work. However, after joining, she found herself drawn to the world of art in Second Life, attending exhibitions, seeking other artists, buying pieces by others, and immersing herself in the means to experience art in a new way. Fortunately, she was asked to start exhibiting her own work, and Second Life has been the richer for it.

More recently, the rich diversity of artistic opportunities she’s experienced in SL has led Sheba into new avenues of expression, notably in-world photography and 3D art and sculpture. Simply Spiritual also presents some of the fruits of these broader endeavours, with a number of Sheba’s paintings, photographs and 3D art also on display within the gallery space.

An engaging visit, Simply Spiritual will run through until the end of August, 2018.

SLurl Details

• InterstellART (Nice Atoll, rated: Moderate)