Category: Art in Second Life

Line and Shadow in Second Life

Posted on by Inara Pey
Line and Shadow
Line and Shadow

Open now, and for approximately two weeks at Solodonna Land’s Art on Roofs gallery space operated by Sniper Siemens and Elettra Beardmore and curated by Terrygold, is an exhibition of  images by noted Second Life photographer Ziki Questi.

In Line and Shadow, Ziki notes that she offers images taken at various locations (including Art on Roofs itself), between May and September 2015, together with a series of erotic images she has taken of herself and partner Kinn, to present a display of some 24 images in total.

Ziki’s work has always been captivating to the eye, and the images on display here are no exception. Her familiar panoramic image ratio is once again used to enormous effect, bringing forth her subject matter perfectly.

Line and Shadow
Line and Shadow

Some of the images on offer form what might be considered something of a Second Life retrospective, because while some of the images feature places we can visit and enjoy today, such as Sommergewitter and Bella Place; many of the landscapes featured belong to places which have now sadly passed into memory, such as Roche, Santaurio and The Forgotten City.

Art installations are also very much a feature, and unsurprisingly so, given Ziki’s extensive coverage of the arts in SL. Thus it is that visitors will encounter images of Bryn Oh’s piece for Distrito Distinto, which recently featured at MetaLES, Neva Crystall’s HuManoID, Alpha Auer’s Alpha Tribe, and Storm Septimus’ Failure to Thrive.

Interspersed between the landscape and art images are the more personal / erotic pieces. These offer a strong contrast in terms of content whilst further demonstrating Ziki’s measured eye for composition and framing.

Line and Shadow
Line and Shadow

This is yet another impressive display of work by an artist whose reputation is well-deserved, and who never fails to capture the very essence of her subject matter, presenting images which both captivate and entice.

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Pursue Impossible: as the entries continue

Posted on by Inara Pey
Mistero Hifeng: "Dream", Pursue Impossible
Mistero Hifeng: “Dream”, Pursue Impossible

With the prize pool standing at over L$560,000, the list of entries in the University of Western Australia’s (UWA)  Pursue Impossible Art & Film Challenge continues to grow while the clock slowly counts away the days to the deadline for submissions at midnight SLT, on October 31st, 2015.

The Pursue Impossible theme is in recognition of the UWA adopting Pursue Impossible as their clarion call to students in the physical world to achieve their fullest possible potential by studying with the university.

Within the competition, entrants are invited to consider what their “impossible” might be. Perhaps it is the goal they have achieved or which they’ve seen achieved by their loved ones, friends or family; or perhaps it is a consideration of those things we deem to be impossible, but which we may still pursue and conquer as individuals or collectively. Or maybe it is an illustration of how virtual environments empower people to visualise, create and push the boundaries of the possible. There are many options and opportunities to consider.

Art submissions must have COPY permissions, and must not exceed 150 LI, and must be free from any copyright issues – if third-party content is used in an entry, permission must and been sought and granted from the creator for its inclusion in the Challenge. Machinima entries should preferably no longer than 4 minutes and 30 seconds, must be specifically made for this challenge. All submissions should allow casual viewers to interpret how the theme is represented, or provide a means by which the piece can be understood in the context of the challenge theme.

For full details on the challenge, including submission guidelines and rules, please refer to the UWA’s Pursue Impossible announcement.

Nino Vichan: Pursue the End of Homelessness - Pursue Impossible
Nino Vichan: Pursue the End of Homelessness – Pursue Impossible

As well as the art and machinima category prizes, there will also be special cash prizes for audience participation. The prize pool for this currently stands at L$15,000 apiece for the two categories (art and machinima).

I’ll have news on the audience participation requirements once they have been officially announced by the UWA directly. In the meantime, don’t forget to check the art entries at the UWA Gallery and the video submissions on the UWA blog.

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Pop-up art in Second Life

Posted on by Inara Pey
Derry McMahon
Derry McMahon – Pop-up Art

Noted SL photographers Derry McMahon and Bear Silvershade have come up with a new approach to exhibiting art in Second Life, and they’re calling it “pop up art”. Bear explains the idea in a press release thus:

We’ve watched as galleries flicker in and out of existence, and had shows at several. Two things are consistent: nothing is permanent, and even with the most relentless, ongoing promotion, visitor numbers drop off dramatically after the opening and reach near zero long before a month – the usual length of gallery shows – is up.

Instead of fighting it, we’ve decided to embrace the ephemeral nature of Second Life and experiment with pop-up galleries. It goes like this: Rent a piece of suitable land, set up our work and open it to the public, but just for a couple of weeks.

Derry McMahon
Bear Silvershade – Pop-up Art

For their inaugural exhibition using the idea, the couple have rented an open-air space in Bay City – Falconmoon, where they’ll be opening a joint exhibit at 14:00 SLT on Saturday, September 19th. Derry’s half of the exhibit is called Double Vision and presents pairs of images she has created – one from the physical world, one from the virtual. These are not designed to offer pairs of similar images (although a couple are wonderfully alike), but rather offer insight into Derry art on both sides of the digital divide.

Bear’s pieces, as he notes, are largely taken from his monochrome Lonely Streets of Second Life series – a series I’ve always particularly admired, mixing a couple of his physical world images in with them as well. Taken together, the rich colours on Derry’s work facing Bear’s austere black-and-white pieces serve to complement one another very well.

Derry McMahon
Derry McMahon – Pop-up Art

Continuing the press release notes, Bear says of the approach – which originated as an idea with Derry:

The short time frame is key. For the patrons, it gives them more incentive to get out and see the show; no putting it off because “There’s plenty of time.” For us, it gives us the freedom to experiment and not feel tied down.

We can set up when and where we want, with whatever style we want. They might happen in different places once a month, or once every six months – whatever feels right.

Bear Silvershade
Bear Silvershade – Pop-up Art

I think it’s potentially a clever approach. As Bear says, it overcomes the issues of holding a gallery permanently open, generates interest in an exhibition due to the shorter time frame and could, if due consideration is given to the spaces which are rented-out for such exhibits, perhaps make them a part of an exhibition as much as the images on display. Kudos to Derry for the idea, and to her and Bear both for taking it on the road, so to speak.

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Kerupa Flow Unveiled in Second Life

Posted on by Inara Pey
The Portraits of Kerupa Flow Unveiled
The Portraits of Kerupa Flow Unveiled

On display at Tabula Rasta’s Gallery 24 is some of work by Kerupa Flow. Entitled The Portraits of Kerupa Flow Unveiled, it presents a series of the artist’s real life portraiture brought into Second Life and offered as a cosy exhibition curated by Kayly Igali.

“I am a Japanese artist.  The art you see here was made on a computer, using a pen tablet,” Kerupa says of her work. “SL allows me to display my art in its purest form.  Digital data is revealed via graphic pixels.  SL helps make my art come alive, makes it real, more even than in 1st life, because to show it there I would have to transform it, by printout or posting on the web.  Here I can upload and it is a real life experience inside SL.  I find that so exciting!”

The Portraits of Kerupa Flow Unveiled
The Portraits of Kerupa Flow Unveiled

The result is a collection of largely black-and white drawings and images spread across the front floors of the gallery. Most of them stand-alone, but within which sits a fascinating examination of the artist’s creative process at work. It commences with a simple androgynous portrait, dated July 2007, which progresses through to a finished” image – only for Kerupa to later return to it and continue working with it. You can see the study in brief in the image at the top of this piece – but an up-close look is recommended.

What makes this set of images particularly interesting, is that the artist presents a series of comments alongside the pictures. These not only serve to illustrate how the image developed over the passage of time, but also offers insight into Kerupa’s evolving relationship with the individual within it, the latter’s expression and the emotions it conveys serving to influence Kerupa’s own responses with each iteration of the work.  The result is a lovely narrative  leading from initial sketch to a final painting.

The Portraits of Kerupa Flow Unveiled
The Portraits of Kerupa Flow Unveiled

As noted, this is a small, but fascinating display of an artist’s work – and one I thoroughly enjoyed visiting. My only regret is that I missed the opportunity to hear the artist talk about her work on September 14th.

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Windlight fellowships: September

Posted on by Inara Pey
The Windlight Gallery Fellowship awardees for September are now on display
The Windlight Gallery Fellowship awardees for September are now on display

The September Windlight Gallery Fellowship awardee exhibits are now open at the gallery for viewing ahead of the formal opening and reception, which will take place on Saturday, September 12th, at 12:00 noon.

The awardees for this month are:  Bamboo Barnes, Canary Beck, Serenitee Bliss, Sparkie Cyberstar, Kayly Iali, Lala Lightfoot, Eeraftr Resident, Saoiriseheart Resident, Theadreem Resident,  Wintergeist Resident, Trav Solar, and Theda Tammas. Between them, the offer a wide range of styles and images, although there is a strong leaning towards avatar-focused images.

Kayly Iali, Windlight Gallery
Kayly Iali, Windlight Gallery

Perhaps the one notable difference in the group is Kayly Iali, who offers a series of her physical world paintings and sketches. These combine abstract with portraiture and oils to present a display which is both eye-catching and breath-taking – as can be seen from the image above.

By Contrast, Trav Solar (below), the only male awardee this month (come on guys, let’s see you applying!), presents a series of avatar studies within a set of slide show displays allowing a broad and very striking range of images to be displayed and shared between them.

Trav Solar, Windlight Gallery
Trav Solar, Windlight Gallery

Crossing the divide between avatar studies and landscape images captured around Second Life is Serenitee Bliss, who presents one of the fullest displays of art I’ve yet seen at Windlight, making full use of the wall space to present a simply stunning collage of images one is instantly drawn to and drawn into as it entices the eyes to linger and capture every detail in turn.

It may seem a little unfair focusing on just three of the awardees for the month, and in truth, everyone selected has offered  display that is both attractive and well worth viewing; I just confess to finding myself drawn to these three artists’ work in particular (although I confess to being very familiar with Kayly’s work).

Serenitee Bliss, Windlight Gallery
Serenitee Bliss, Windlight Gallery

The September Fellowship exhibition will be open through until the end of the month and the opening reception on the 12th has an open door invitation to all wishing to attend. It will feature the voice and music of Caasi Ansar and formal wear is requested. Hopefully, I’ll see you there!

About the Windlight Gallery Fellowship Programme

The goal of the Windlight Gallery Fellowship Programme is to provide promotional and artistic resources to artists in Second Life, and is open to both new and established artists. Space with the Windlight Gallery is provided free of charge for a period of 30 days. Applications for space can be made on-line, via the Fellowship application form, which includes all applicable terms for the use of space in the gallery.

Additional Information

Four talents at the Living Room in Second Life

Posted on by Inara Pey
Nico Time - The Living Room
Nico Time – The Living Room

Tuesday, September 8th, 2015 marks the opening of this month’s art exhibition at The Living Room, and for September, Owl and Daallee are presenting the work of not one, but four talents from Second Life, with the gallery space also undergoing a remodelling as well.

On offer through until the end of the month are selected works by CK Ballyhoo, Jamisson Burnstein, DanelleDee, and someone whose artistry I’ve long admired and enjoyed: Nico Time. All offer an intriguing mix of styles and content, both from Second Life and the physical world, making this month’s exhibition a multi-faceted event.

CK Ballyhoo - The Living Room
CK Ballyhoo – The Living Room

On the gallery’s upper level, CK presents a series of images entitled SL Skies. As the name suggests, this presents a series of skyscapes captured by the artist, who notes of them, “no filters have been used except for the black and whites, to put an emphasis on the clouds.” The result is a set of pictures, some individual, some paired, all displayed in their own little settings, each of which has been created to match the scene captured within the image itself.

Jamisson Burnstein - The Living Room
Jamisson Burnstein – The Living Room

Occupying the same level as CK, Jamisson offers images he’s captured during his explorations of Second Life. These are centred on three large format slide show screens, each of which slowly runs through a set of images loaded within it, depicting not only places but people as well. The pace of progress is such that each image can be fully and properly appreciated before the next fades into view.

Jamisson notes that he rarely exhibits his work in-world, “But The Living Room is a special place – so I am honoured to show some of my pictures here.” He’s absolutely right on his observation about The living Room, and on the strength of the pieces he is displaying I’d certainly like to see his work gracing more galleries.

DanelleDee - The Living Room
DanelleDee – The Living Room

On the lower level gallery area, Danelle presents a selection of her art from physical world. These are a mix of black-and-white and colour drawings and pictures, some with a distinctly geometric feel to them, some more abstract and others encompassing subjects such as fruit, sailing boats and butterflies. Having only joined Second Life in 2014, Danelle notes that she has found that her involvement in-world has both helped in her personal growth and encouraged her to express herself more fully; I empathise.

Alongside of Danelle’s display is Nico’s. I’ll be the first to admit this review is perhaps a tad biased towards him given I’ve included two images of his display. However, I simply cannot help it; I’ve long admired his work  through Flickr, the SL feeds, Avatar Social Network, etc. He has, to me, a marvellous eye for composition, colour and presentation, and I’m delighted to see his work appear at The Living Room.

Nico Time - The Living Room
Nico Time – The Living Room

The exhibition will officially open at 12:00 noon SLT on Tuesday, September 8th, with a party featuring music by Joe Paravane. There will also be a closing party at 23:00 SLT on September 29th, featuring Matthew Perrault.

And don’t forget The Living Room’s monthly live music party, which for September is set for the 17th, and features Bat Masters at 17:00 SLT, followed by Lyndon Heart at 18:00.

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