Category: Art in Second Life

Back in June 2026, I received an invitation from Rowyn Mariposa (MzStiX) to visit a new endeavour by her fiancée, Pamela Irelund, the Irelund Museum of American Art. It’s taken me over a month to get around to actually visiting – so my apologies to both Rowyn and Pamela for this.

Located within the Second Norway estate – and in fact little more than a couple of good stone throws from where I have my island home, so there was really no excuse for not visiting sooner, given the museum can easily be reached by boat!) – the Irelund Museum occupies a large, modern building of single level design, partially extended by Pamela herself.

For those arriving by teleport, the Landing Point is located within the inner fountain courtyard of the museum, and it is here that any exploration should begin. For those arriving by boat, take the steps up from the mooring to the the door at the top of the steps, then follow the red carpet in front of you down to where the courtyard opens up on the right.

In all, 10 areas (labelled as rooms) plus a hallway, present American art from across the country’s modern 250-year history. The art is arranged chronologically by room and the rooms proceed in a clockwise manner from Early American Portraits, Hudson River School and Tonalism (located in a blue room to the south-east corner of the building) through to Cinematic Realism and Political Art, with the courtyard offering the museum’s single piece of sculpture: Steppe by Antoni Milkowski and a large reproduction of Dream Garden by Maxfield Parrish and Louis Comfort Tiffany.

A highly informative catalogue of the museum’s main displays can be found at the large desk in the fountain courtyard. This provides an introduction to the museum, together with biographical thumbnails of all the artists responsible for the pieces on display, again divided by room.

Designed as a HUD, it is a little large to be opened and read when viewing individual pieces, but it can be minimised easily by clicking the eye-with-a-bar icon within the left and right navigations areas. This will close and reduce the catalogue in size; clicking on the catalogue again will open it at the last page viewed (and will do so, even if detached, allowing interrupted visits to be resumed easily).

Across the fountain courtyard is the Special Exhibitions room, which at the time of my visit this was hosting Fantastic Dreams and Wistful Reality: Maxfield Parrish and Norman Rockwell. A smaller desk just outside this room offers a catalogue specifically for this exhibition, and which operates on the same basis as the one described above. And, incidentally, you can reach Room 1 of the museum’s exhibition spaces by cutting through this space.

In terms of copyright, all of the works through to 1928 are out of copyright; those after that year are within copyright. However, the museum does not sell any of the images, and all are provided for educational / informational purposes, and intentionally presented in low-resolution, thus helping the museum meet the requirements of fair use as defined for copyrighted works under US law.

A group has been established for the museum for those wishing to keep up with events and special exhibitions, and the joiner can again be found in the fountain courtyard.

The Irelund Museum of American Art is clearly a personal labour of love, built out of knowledge of the subject. It is also highly informative and a pleasure to visit and tour. Within it is a further demonstration of the ability of Second Life to both bring art to an audience which might never otherwise to be able to appreciate all of the pieces as a single exhibition, and as its ability to inform and educate.

My congratulations to Pamela on her work, and my thanks to Rowyn for the invitation.

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• Irelund Museum of American Art (Rune, rated Moderate)

Having opened on July 15th, 2026 at Souland Gallery curated by Julana Allen (Julana Teichmann), Collection is a gathering of work by Pagan Lane, bringing his art from the physical world into Second Life.

A multimedia artist, Pagan uses a mix of digital manipulation, photo embellishment and traditional painting in oil and acrylics to create images that are both uniquely expressive and which cover multiple genres from portraiture through abstract and expressionism to the surreal. His work can bring together themes of the mystical and ethereal to the real and the emotive, and can serve to underscore his interests in psychology, the human condition and mythology.

At first appearing to be a randomly eclectic selection of pieces, Collection serves to illustrate all of the above, although there is a lean towards mythological subjects which I found to be richly engaging in their presentations and interpretations of their subjects.

Take the portrait of Pele, the Hawaiian creator-goddess; her association with fire and volcanism is brought forth in the use of red and black in the background, suggestive of lava flowing and cooling whilst bright splashes of red to the foreground represent fire. Meanwhile, her connection to Hawaii is gently communicated through the fiery red haku le around her head.

Similarly, one of the two studies of Persephone marvellously captures a key element of her story following her kidnapping and unwilling sojourn within the Underworld. Presenting her within what could be taken as a range of mountains, the image is a strikingly powerful personification of her return to the surface of the world.

Within Nyx and Hemera, meanwhile, the contrast between mother (Nyx, goddess of the night) and daughter (Hermera, goddess of the daytime) and their attributes is beautifully offered in a modern abstracted style where colour and the appearance of the Sun and Moon conveys so much. Alongside of this, Erebus and Aither (husbands to Nyx and Hemera) perfectly encapsulates their opposing forces (darkness and light) in a monochrome piece. These are works which sand both individually and as a pair untied in the stories they convey.

With Hephaestus and Triton, Pagan offers unique embodiments of the deities they represent, casting them in a whole new light. Triton, for example, foregoes the traditional middle-aged-man-with-beard portrayal and instead presents figure who is younger and vital and alive – as one might expect from a god of the sea. Within Hephaestus we similarly see not a maker of weapons for the other Olympians or a son shunned by his mother and seeking revenge (as in one branch of his mythology); instead we see the face of a young man whose eyes are very much the mirrors of his soul.

I could ramble on; but this is an exhibition to be witnessed first hand – and if you are unfamiliar the the many branches that are the tree of (particularly) Greek mythology, then Collection presents the ancient gods and their attributes in a manner which encourages further exploration of the subject.  And even without such spurring, Collection presents a visual feast of art, each item within it can be appreciated in its own right and for the talents of the artist.

A genuinely rich and layered exhibition, Collection is not one to be missed.

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• Souland Gallery (Moordon, rated Moderate)

I’ve long admired the artistic collaboration between Lalie Sorbet and Chrix (chrixbed) for the immersive installations they have produced, such as Bloom: Flowers of Evil from 2024, and Murmuration – A Never-Ending Show from 2025. So when Lalie invited me to see their latest – and quite possibly most immersive thus far – installation, I knew I’d have to hop along as time permitted to immerse myself within it.

Entitled Mosaic it is, and without any hyperbole, mesmerising. However, before visiting, make sure you have local sounds enabled and your viewer is set to Use Shared Experience via World → Environment.

The installation has been inspired by the works of French artist Jean Giraud (1938-2012), better known the world over as Mœbius. While his work folded into itself multiple genres such as the American West and Belgian-style comic books, it is as a co-founder of Métal Hurlant, one of the most influential science fiction publications of the latter part of the 20th century, and his work as a science fiction and fantasy artist and illustrator which earned him international recognition.

Mœbius created everything from characters to fantastical creatures and worlds through a style that became a genre of its own, being widely adopted by comic book illustrators, storyboard artists and others. He very much focused on allowing his drawings to drive a story rather than simply illustrating a written narrative. In fact, his first publication under the Métal Hurlant banner, the 4-part comic book series Arzach, comprised entirely wordless stories.

All of this can be seen as influences within Mosaic.

Sitting within a desert-like landscape is a ring of monolithic structures, most carved or built from rock formations (one stands outs as being clearly of artificial construct), intermixed with exotic plants, this brings forth a world straight from Mœbius’ pens. The air is heavy with a thudding, mixed beat through which chanting can be heard together with the metronomic clicking of machinery. Every so often comes a deeper, reverberating boom accompanied by flashes of light, like forked lightning.

Within this ring is a world of motion. Marvellous creatures circle the sky or wander the shallow waters whilst eight giant Guardians stand form a circle facing the centre of the water, the flora at their feet swaying in time to the drum-like beats, phantasmal trails curling and sweeping through the air. Each Guardian is of a different appearance, suggesting they all might be of different worlds. Some may have fireballs floating before them; some remain still; others at times raise one or both arms. All are clearly taking part in a ritual as, periodically and in time with the deeper booms, the lightning-like trails arc from them to the centre of the circle, bright bursts of an ethereal something.

As they do so, large mosaic-like tiles bearing familiar Earthly images  float through the installation in a cyclical process and apparently at the will of the Guardians. During the cycle, the tiles will form path-like circles together with bridges which extend away from each Guardian to reach the centre of the waters. Then the paths an bridges will slowly dismantle, the tiles rising to form structures and shapes in the air over the centre of the circle. What these structures might be varies with each round of the cycle, but once done, and on an unspoken command, the structures slowly break down and the cycle repeats.

Exactly what this all might mean is up to your own eyes and imagination to determine; this is a place where stories await their time to unfold in the minds of others; a place of richness of detail and motion adrift from time where mysticism and mystery rub shoulders with technology and alien nature. Perhaps the Guardians are technomages; maybe they are gods engaged in creation. The stories are yours to weave.

Forming a part of the outer ring of structures is a hemisphere enclosing an event space, the floor of which is also formed by these tiles – at least until they rise to join with those called to the centre of the installation. Step on any of the mosaic titles anywhere within the installation and it will respond with motion, the illustration on it will illuminating briefly while a tone or sound might be heard.

Meanwhile, the artificial tower – which serves as a Landing Point – includes a number of vehicles visitors can sit on or within and which will then take flight around the installation and becoming a part of it. The tower also offers the opportunity to teleport and discover how Mosaic came to be, complete with uploads of art by Mœbius. For those wishing to spend time observing the Guardians and pondering their ritual, places to sit are to be found on some of the exotic trees dotted around close to the installation’s perimeter.

For those who want to exercise their brains slightly differently, there is a memory game for up to four players sitting diagonally opposite the events space. Look for the square of grey “owl” tiles and sit on one of the mushrooms to one side of it. The game is played by trying to find pairs of tiles by selecting one of the owls to turn over, and then another. Correct selections gain the pair of tiles (removing them from the game); incorrect answers flip the tiles back, so you need to recall their positions if on a later go, you come upon the other half of a pair.

 

Immersive, excellently conceived and executed (the timing of the drumming booms and the lightning is exquisite), populated by beings and creatures which Mœbius – if he were able to see them – would have doubtless approved and lauded, Mosaic is genuinely captivating. As already noted, make sure you have local sounds enabled when visiting and do use the Shared Environment; once you have visited, don’t forget the opportunity to hop up and learn how the installation was developed and perhaps catch the official video.

Congrats to Lalie and Chrix for again demonstrating the power of Second Life to artistically delight and enthral.

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• Mosaic (SLEA6, rated Moderate)

In October 2023, I visited and wrote about Phantasmagoria, an exhibition of art by Carelyna hosted at Mareea Farraco’s IMAGOLand gallery. For July 2026, Carelyna has returned to IMAGOLand with an continuation / extension to that exhibition entitled, appropriately enough, Phantasmagoria II.

As I noted with the original exhibition, while the title might well evoke thoughts of ghosts and spectres, it can also reference the idea of a sequences of haphazardly associative imagery as seen in dreams. This latter interpretation is close to what we see here (and as was the case with the original Phantasmagoria – from which several of the pieces in this exhibition have been drawn), a juxtapositioning of images that speak to ideas of memory, emotions, absence – perhaps even loss – and the inner workings of the mind.

The 16 images on display are offered within a darker surround that the original exhibition, one that presents a more immersive sense of night and dreams to those inner thoughts of the mind as we become lost in subconscious, rather than conscious, thought. Candelabras which further imprint the idea of being within a hallowed place of memory and remembrance.

All of the 16 is a sepia-rich pieces, with their washed tone and faded or ghost-like images designed to represent both fragments of memory –  events recalled through the mists of time in which ghost-like individuals appear sometimes almost clearly, others almost completely washed out – and of emotions and feelings.

Some of this might be gained by peeking at the individual names of the pieces via a right-click & edit; but it is far better to spend time contemplating what each means to you, and how they speak to how memories important to us, together with their associated emotions and feelings, never truly vanish – although they might over time become transformed by the passage of time and by our own growth and change. They can come unbidden and jumbled, but they can also be a journey through times past, reframing them and comforting or even healing us as they give us a second chance to recall those times.

An evocative, poignant and enchanting exhibition.

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• IMAGOLand Art Galleries (Fantasy Shores, rated Moderate)

I recently received a series of invites to visit the Michiel Bechir Gallery in Second Life and witness the July 2026 / summer exhibition there, which features four artist-photographers, three of whom present images from Second life, and the fourth photographs taken in the physical worlds and scaled for presentation in-world. Of the four, two follow clearly-stated themes, whilst the remaining two appear more free-form, albeit with undertows of emotions themes.

Through My Eyes by Lo Coeur, is a personal catalogue of her journeys through Second Life – journeys she undertakes with a positive outlook which is reflected in the bright, and in some cases suitably saturated, colours found within many of the pieces presented. Lo additionally uses a mix of styles and tone with which to present moods within several of the pieces (take, Light, Lonely, and Sky on the Water for example), whilst the use of saturation can both enhance the mood of a piece (Misty Mountain)  and encourage focus (Passion, for example).

Rich and inviting, these are pieces that help reveal the magic of exploring SL.

Each photograph in this gallery tells a story. Not just of places and things, but of feelings, of life. Of the quiet beauty that surrounds us every day, if we stop to look. … We chose these photos not because they are perfect, but because they are honest. They capture the world as it is: messy, beautiful, fragile, and resilient. They invite you to pause. To reflect. To feel.

Rebeka Demjórus Tƶimişce (RebekaNLady) introducing her exhibition

Thus Rebeka introduces a collection of 17 photographs captured in the real world which are as rich in colour as they are in subject matter. Their sweeping range encompasses riverside views, woodlands and parks, macro studies of flowering plants, reflections on water rich in reeds or the natural detritus of nature accumulating in shallows – and more. How we respond to them – the feelings or emotions they might cause is, obviously, entirely personal and not something to be ascribed here. All I will say is that all of them do hold the eye and present outlooks on life that might easily be missed if they are looked at too quickly, with the two offered purely in monochrome perhaps conveying a deeper sense of personal message than the others.

There is no introduction for the collection of 14 pieces presented by Karma Nirvana – and one simply is not required. These are pieces which speak quietly but firmly, each with a distinctive voice, of the beauty and wonder of Second Life.

I confess that I’m not sure if I’ve witnessed Karma’s work in the past, but if that is the case then it is to my loss. These are pieces captured in some of Second Life’s most familiar public regions – Loch Tredach, The Far Away, Grand Harbor Isle and so on – which may to some be instantly recognisable, but here are given new depth and meaning thanks to Karma’s use of subject, focus, angle, cropping and post-processing. Whilst no over-arching theme may have been intended here, each piece is in and of itself deeply emotive.

In Reflections, photographer Michiel Bechir invites visitors into a world where surfaces, shadows and mirrored light reveal more than they conceal. Each image captures a moment in which reality folds back onto itself – water becomes memory, glass becomes emotion and architecture becomes a quiet echo of the avatar observing it.

– The introduction to Michiel Bechir’s collection Reflections

And so through a series of 12 images, Michiel takes us on a journey across Second Life, each piece offering a singular view that is subtly split through the use (most often) by reflection, encouraging us to look as much below – so to speak (or in the foreground in most cases)  as what might be taken as the primary subject within it. These are pieces where the play of light on water, of the rippling reflections and refractions of the world above are, together with lighting and tone, the drivers of our emotional responses to each image. Relying most particularly on the use of EEP settings more than post-processing, these are works all waiting to tell a story to the ears that are ready to hear.

Four excellent and engaging exhibitions sitting under a single roof.

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• Michiel Bechir Gallery (Embrace, rated Adult)

Concrete Shadows is an exploration of urban life captured through the interplay of light and shadow in contemporary artwork. This city life exhibition illustrates how the silhouettes of people merge with their surroundings, creating a dialogue between the individual and the urban landscape. 

– Miles Cantelou

Thus reads the artist’s introduction of a series of acrylic canvases adapted for upload to Second Life for the exhibition Concrete Shadows, which opened in mid-June at ArtCare Gallery, curated by Carelyna.

Those familiar with Miles’ work will know that his range encompasses street and studio photography, painting in acrylics and oils, working within 3D environments and more. Utilising genres from abstract through surrealism to abstracted expressionism, his art is a constant study of light and light forms often with a strong lean into using light and light forms. Much of his work is colour-rich and boldly stated. Here, however, and as his introduction notes, he large eschews colour (although some is present in places to give an added subtle context to the urban environments featured) in favour of a more monochromatic look.

Comprising 20 individual pieces, Concrete Shadows could be a record captured from within a city anywhere in the world. But precisely where their inspiration comes from doesn’t actually matter;  what does is the manner in which they resonate with us as we view them and their the subtext of line, shape, shadow and block serve to suggest; so that in some it is possible to perceive the bustling and disorderly order of somewhere like Tokyo or Shanghai whilst others might suggest a kinship with London, Paris or New York – or wherever your imagination takes you.

All of them offer narratives of life, be this used as a collective nouns for the bustle of people passing along busy streets, cojoined by matters of business, tourism, need – whatever; or be it a reflection of the individual caught in a moment of introspection, transition or perhaps loneliness within the midst of that bustle. More broadly, they tell a story about the places we have created in which we go about our business and lives; the ebb and flow of the relationship between conurbation and self. Cities are places we have built out of our own necessity; yet at the same time we are mere elements of their necessity, serving their growth, their wealth, their power. They cannot exists without us and nor can we, as a society, function without them; the one gives purpose to the other.

Is there balance in this? Perhaps; perhaps not – but there is a blurring. Our relationships with the cities in which we live is one of adversarial symbiosis; it constantly shifts and changes as we move through the concrete and steel canyons or pause for breath in the small haven of green park spaces. We move as one, currents and eddies of humanity coursing through streets and avenues, flowing into and from buildings, an underscoring of our need for them – and their reliance upon us. At the same time we seek to remain individuals, operating within and yet apart from the rush of City Life and all it brings.

An intriguing and engaging exhibition.

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• ArtCare Gallery (Emotion, rated Moderate)