Category: Art in Second Life

Open through until the end of August at the Paris Metro Art Gallery is Creative Inhalation: Breaking Bad in Frenzyville, featuring the wonderful, whimsical and intriguing art of Molly Bloom.

Noted for her ability to play with our perception of depth by having elements of her images reaching beyond the confines of their picture frame, even to the point of using props completely outside of the picture, Molly’s art is instantly recognisable when encountered in Second Life – and it is always a delight to visit exhibitions of her more recent work, as is the case here.

On display are 22 pictures (23 if you count the superb self-portrait on the upper floor, which makes clever use of one of the gallery’s arched windows), which are split between the two floors of the gallery. Collectively, the exhibition is presented in memory of Molly’s late father, who passed away in May 2016 at the age of 95, with four of the images in particular being dedicated to him.

Not that this is in any way a downbeat exhibition; quite the reverse. As Molly notes, she inherited her sense of humour from her father, and it is much in evidence in many of the pieces displayed here and in a variety of ways, from the subtle, smile-inducing, through to the right-in-you-face-laugh-out-loud. Between these extremes sit the whimsical, the thought-provoking   and – of course – the dedications.

As I noted at the top of this piece, it is always a delight to see Molly’s art in Second Life, and Creative Inhalations: Breaking Bad in Frenzyville is no exception. Do be sure to drop in before the end of August, especially if you’ve not encountered her work before.

SLurl Details

•   Creative Inhalations: Breaking Bad in Frenzyville (Rated: Moderate)

“I had been thinking for some time about having a place,” Giovanna Cerise said as we stood at the landing point of her new exhibition space, The Lost Harbour, which officially opens on Thursday, July 14th. “Some time ago I had a gallery, and many people have asked me if I would have a regular place where they could see my work and so I decided to make one.”

If I’m totally honest, Giovanna having a space in she can freely display her art once more is well overdue. Whether it takes one of her large-scale immersive pieces such as Tristan und Isolde or The Eternal Suspense (to name but two), or her smaller pieces, as seen in her recent Retrospective , her work is beautifully exquisite and quite marvellous to see. I was therefore excited to learn about The Lost Harbour, and delighted to spend time visiting with her ahead of the opening.

Occupying the north-east corner of a region, The Last Harbour is a fabulous setting for Giovanna’s work, beautifully laid out and presented to visitors. From the landing point, a series of platforms sit on the waters of the parcel, connected by transparent and translucent tiles from the aforementioned Tristan und Isolde. These form both a display space and a walkway passing across the parcel.

On the seaward side of the parcel sit four pieces which those familiar with Giovanna’s work may recognise as being from some of her past installations. On the landward side, against the boundary wall, are more pieces, notably her black pen line images and forms mindful of installations like Line, together 3D pieces, such as Breeze, a piece best appreciated by camming around and through it, rather than simply regarding it whilst stood still.

Between these two sides is a stepped platform on which are displayed four new studies, comprising single and paired figures. “I wanted to do some new work,” Giovanna told me as we studied them. “In recent times I have worked mostly for large installations. I wanted to focus my ideas and my inspiration on smaller works.”

She continued, “Each of them expresses an idea; a thought emotion. Pandora, Eve, Self Control, Stranger, The Unbearable Lightness of Being … symbolic names.” Symbolic they may be, but they are also deeply intimate; one doesn’t so much observe each of these figures; one becomes a part of each of their stories, a confidante in their expression, if you will.

This is a place where wandering, sitting and contemplation are welcomed. “I imagined a place to walk among the works of art and even then relax by the sea,” Giovanna said, indicating the arched wall along one side of the exhibition space. Passing through this will indeed bring you to a little beach, beautifully landscapes and with seats in which visitors can relax, as well as little beach house, while hovering over the sandy tide are the sirens from Il Folle Volo (The Mad Flight).

The Last Harbour formally opens at 13:00 SLT on Thursday, July 14th at 13.00 SLT. My congratulations to Giovanna in establishing the space, and my thanks to her as well, for allowing me to pop over and spend time with her discussing it.

SLurl Details

• The Last Harbour (Rated: Moderate)

“This was special to me to feel the bravery of  woman soldiers,” Storie’S Helendale (GlitterPrincess Destiny) states in the introductory notes to I Was Born in Kurdistan, her latest immersive piece. “(They don’t cook in the kitchen).  (Instead they fight Isis).”

This is a difficult piece to quantify, presenting a war-torn environment as a backdrop for images depicting women caught within various combat situations, clearly drawn from the unfolding situation in Iraq. It is undoubtedly an atmospheric build – a chart at the landing point provides advice on the best viewer graphics / windlight settings for viewing it as intended.

Central to it stands the concrete skeleton of a war-torn building. Fires burn in old oil drums, the ground is rough and pitted and burned-out cars and other detritus resulting from the passage of combat are scattered around. Around the walls of this environment, and mounted in the skeletal remains of the building are images by Storie’S depicting woman in combat. Some are in traditional-look middle-eastern dress, others is more “homespun uniforms”, others in combat fatigues.

The mix of images presents both colour and monochrome pieces, with the content ranging from actually scenes of combat, through scenes from the aftermath of fighting to very personal scenes of comrades supporting one another or combat veterans simply trying to get some respite and rest.

Since is the approach taken to the piece, that interpreting it is a very subjective affair. There is no doubting that many of them do echo the privations and sadness of war; there is a subtle condemnation of the suffering it brings present in many of the images.  But this seems to be somewhat offset by an uncomfortable sense that women in combat is being celebrated to a degree.

While there are – sadly – time in this world when the only recourse is for people to take up arms and stand against the forces which would otherwise overwhelm them and their way of life. To be clear, I Was Born in Kurdistan is more a reflection of this than anything else; but the “celebratory” aspect of some of the images might give rise to a negative reaction among some visitors.

I was born in Kurdistan

However, it is these juxtapositions of viewpoints and emotions which makes I Was Born in Kurdistan an installation which needs to be seen directly, rather than simply related through a blog post like this. There is currently no closing date stated for the exhibition, which opened on July 9th; I would anticipate it remaining open for at least a month.

SLurl Details

• I Was Born in Kuridistan (Rated: Moderate)

Tattoos. To some they are an expression of individuality while to others they are symbol of affection or love, while still others regard them as little more than a foolish desire to mark one’s body through a painful process. In some circles they are a social statement against the “norm”; in others their meaning can go a lot deeper, mirroring tribal markings of old. When opposing views on their merit meet, the discussion can be heated.

But there is something that’s undeniable about tattoos: they can be quite exquisite works of art, a living, if you will, expression of creativity, both on the part of the artist responsible for the inking, and the person desiring their body to be so marked and coloured.

And through virtual environments such as Second Life, the opportunity to express this joint creative desire is perfectly framed. Not only do the tattoos here remain as fresh and bright as they day they were first inked, so do the bodies on which they appear tend to stay untouched by the passing years. Thus both art and “canvas” remain as fresh an expression of creativity as the day the artist first inked them, or the day we first wore them. And of course, within the virtual, tattoos can be worn painlessly, offering each of us a means of self expression we might otherwise baulk it in the physical world (and I speak as one very much in this category!).

All of these aspects of tattoos in Second Life are wonderfully brought together by Elizabeth (ElizabethNantes) in Inked, the latest exhibition to grace the walls of Dathúil Gallery operated by Max Butoh and Lυcy (LucyDiam0nd). The 23 pieces on display are extraordinary studies which work on a number of levels.

First, and given tattoos are the focus, most are nude studies, many of which are sensual or erotic in their expression. Second, there is a wonderful balance between colour and black-and-white images which both compliment and contrast with one another, drawing the visitor deeper into the exhibit, encouraging repeated study of each image both on its own and alongside of its companions.

And then there are the tattoos themselves, created by 7Prodigy, Aitui, Bolson, Cureless, SpeakEasy and WhiteWidow. Some are full body, others covering just a specific limb or body part, all reflecting the vision and talent behind their creation. Some of the featured tattoos may well invoke the kind of mixed responses I hinted towards at the top of this article, but the entrancing beauty of all of the pieces cannot be denied.

Which brings me, finally, to the framing of the images. In each and every piece, this is quite simply perfect. Sensual and / or erotic some may be, nude they undoubtedly are, and rich is the contrast between black-and-white and colour studies; but there is also something more here. An elegance in both the framing of each image and the pose (either by Elizabeth herself or DelMay) used. Through them, the tattoos worn by Elizabeth’s models, and the models themselves  – Joslyn Benson, Daze(DaisyDaze), EllaSparkss, Jammie Hill, Kazu Koray, Hillany Scofield and Brandon Taselian – become a unified statement of art and natural beauty.

This is another outstanding exhibition hosted at Dathúil, where it will remain open through until the end of July. And it is one that should not be missed by any patron of the arts in Second Life.

SLurl Details

• Dathúil Gallery (Rated: Adult)