Akiniwa: Haiku Quan – Just who do you think you are?
Now open at Akiniwa, a region within the Akipelago estate of arts regions founded and operated by Akiko Kinoshi (A Kiko), is an engaging exhibition of art by Haiku (Haiku Quan), one of Aki’s partners in organising and hosting art and music events within Akipelago, and who is herself both a photographer-artist and patron of the arts in Second Life.
In this latter regard, and as well as the work she carries out with Aki and Violet Boa at Akipelago, Haiku founded the Free Museum on 2021, giving away copies of works by some of SL’s most gifted artists (with their approval). In 2022 she sponsored the first annual Lyrics Prize and awarded over L$100,000 in prizes to the residents who wrote the best original lyrics to a dozen popular songs.
Akiniwa: Haiku Quan – Just who do you think you are?
Now at Akipelago, Haiku launches a new phase of her work in supports art in Second Life, a new complex of three gallery buildings of a unique neo-industrial design by Blue Tsuki, all of which are to be curated by Haiku and are ranged on three sides of an open air events area. One of these units will eventually be home to additional works from the Free Museum, and the other will host rotating exhibitions by other Second Life artists. The fourth side of the venue is occupied by Nessuno Myoo’s As Mammoths In the Middle Of Butterflies, an installation I reviewed in April 2022.
As for the first unit, this is home to Haiku’s exhibition With Just who do you think you are? This is a collection of no fewer than 300 avatar portraits captured by Haiku. Many of the subjects are themselves artists and musicians using Second Life as their medium of expression, with one or two SLebrities mixes among them (see if you can spot Simon Linden for one…).
Akiniwa: Haiku Quan – Just who do you think you are?
However, rather than being offered as individual pieces, Haiku has opted to place up to 16 portraits in a single frame and then use a scripted timer to rotate through them, showing etc i turn for a period long enough for us to appreciate each one. This results in an exhibit in which the pieces are almost constantly in a state of flux (or change), presenting visitors with the choice of observing the changes a picture frame at a time until all the portraits it contains, or to wander around the gallery floor, each circuit revealing different portraits, giving the sense of walking through a space much larger than the hall.
In terms of the portraits themselves, they are almost all head-and-shoulder shots, the subject looking directly at the camera and with a minimum of post-processing. Thus they present an honest view of each avatar, unburdened by the play of digital tools – and in doing so, perhaps allow us a glimpse one their eyes to the person who lies, so to speak, within them.
Akiniwa: Haiku Quan – Just who do you think you are?
Engaging and rich in content, Just who do you think you are? offers a noel manner in which to present avatar portraits – and I look forward to returning to Akiniwa and witnessing the development of Haiku’s new endeavour as the galleries all become occupied.
My first memory of Cica Ghost’s art in Second Life came over a decade ago, when she secured a region grant from the former Linden Endowments for the Arts (LEA), and hosted Cica. It caught the eye and imagination of many, featuring two-dimensional stick figures, many of them animated, going about their lives within a 3D setting, with the little chap riding his bicycle in the face of a strong wind that becoming something of a motif for the build within blog posts about it.
Follow-up installations like Ghostville allowed various 2D characters draw by Cica to continue to appear in her 3D installations – and they still pop-up from time to time either directly (plants and flowers forming a part of an landscape) or indirectly (as drawing on walls) within Cica’s installations.
Cica Ghost: Scribbled, January 2023
Now, with her latest installation, Scribbled, which opened to the public on Thursday, January 12th, 2023, Cica again brings us a 2D world within a 3D space. Offered under the description Every day is a new day, this is an installation sitting on the 3D equivalent of a sheet of paper – and just as every day is a new day, so is every blank piece of paper an opportunity for the imagination to take flight, be it through drawings or through words.
Here, we are invited into the former (be sure to Use Shared Environment in your viewer (World → Environment), a crisp white setting suggestive of that sheet of paper on which Cica has “drawn” for us a series of vignettes. From 2D trees through aliens standing before their flying saucer to cows, elephants, cats and deer to monsters whose smiles reveal they are not intent on harm, this is a place where even the hills are given a deceptive two-dimensional edge.
Cica Ghost: Scribbled, January 2023
The order in which you encounter these little vignettes matters not – suffice it to say each has its own charm and some, due to the layout of the scene, may need a little additional exploration to be seen at their best. Also scattered among them are some 3D elements – houses and such – which, as the camera is moved, perform the illusion of appearing to morph into flat drawings before revealing their real depth once more – indeed, the overall positioning of all the elements in the setting present an immersive depth that reaches beyond the 2D form of the majority of the pieces.
This is also a setting with a little secret. Just as every day is a new day, is followed by a night, and should you find your way to it, Scribbled reminds visitors of this by transporting them from “day” to “night”. This is a place where the sky and ground are black, and the trees, animals and objects become white, giving visitors a sense of stepping into a photographic negative of the “outer” drawing. Cleverly, as well, the return trip from “night” to “day” delivers visitors to a different locale from that used to enter “night”, thus ensuring that a part of the setting that might have otherwise been easily missed or taken for granted, might be enjoyed.
Cica Ghost: Scribbled, January 2023
Of course, as with all of Cica’s installations there are opportunities for interaction awaiting discovery, from dances to sit spots to the chance to frame yourself in a “2D” picture frame located to one side of the setting, all of which further adds to the fun. And when wandering be sure to say hello to Cica; whilst she may not always be in Scribbled in person, she is always present in (2D) spirit!
As always, Scribbled is an engaging trip into the imagination with Cica, whose work never fails to raise a smile and the spirit, so when visiting do please consider also supporting her work through a purchase or a donation.
SLurl Details
Scribbled by Cica Ghost (Mysterious, rated Moderate)
The greater portion of humanity’s history can, unfortunately, be told in terms of conflict and war. Whether driven by territorial desires, religious zealotry, political expediency, or inherent ethnic / racial divides, wars large and small, tribal, national or international have pockmarked the stories of successive civilisations. With the 21st century just into its 23rd year, we have already witnessed some 27 significant conflicts and wars around the globe – roughly twice the number seen within the first two decades of the 20th century.
Little wonder then, that London Junkers has chosen as he latest installation – opening on Wednesday, January 11th, 2023 at 13:00 SLT – to bring back Guernica, his 3D reproduction of Pablo Picasso’s famous oil painting, regarded around the world by many through the years as the most moving and powerful anti-war painting in history.
For those unfamiliar with the painting, from mid-1936 through until late 1939, Spain was torn apart by a civil war between the then-Republican government (notably aided by Soviet Russia and by Mexico) and the Nationalists, lead by a group of generals who had failed to seize power in a coup d’état in mid-July 1936 and were aided by Fascist Germany and Italy.
London Junkers: Guernica – January 2023
As a part of that conflict, General Francisco Franco called upon the German Luftwaffe’s Condor Legion and the Italian Aviazione Legionaria to bomb the small – but to the Basques, historically and culturally significant – town of Guernica. Ostensibly, the raid was to deny retreating Republican army use of the town’s bridge to cross the Oka River. However, the use of incendiary bombs later the later raids carried out by the German Condor Legion and which set the town ablaze, does suggest the the bombing was intended to break the spirit of the Basque army.
The attack levelled almost all of the town, with it and the strafing of roads and streets by fighters was seen as a war crime. On hearing about the raid at his home in Paris, Pablo Picasso was horrified. Already been commissioned by the Republican government to produce a painting for the Spanish pavilion at the 1937 Paris International Exposition (and to raise funds for the Republican cause via exhibitions around the world), he decided to express his outrage at the murder of women and children – both of whom he saw as “the very perfection of mankind” – through a painting commemorating those lost.
London Junkers: Guernica – January 2023
In all, the painting – over 7.5 metres long and around 3.5 metres high – took Picasso 35 days to produce, and while it was the result of a commission by and for his nation’s Republican government, and he was himself an anti-fascist, and thus vehemently opposed to the likes of Franco, Hitler and Mussolini, he saw the painting as a means to express his overall abhorrence to the war and the effect the actions of both sides was having on his homeland.
The Spanish struggle is the fight of reaction against the people, against freedom. My whole life as an artist has been nothing more than a continuous struggle against reaction and the death of art. How could anybody think for a moment that I could be in agreement with reaction and death? … In the panel on which I am working, which I shall call Guernica, and in all my recent works of art, I clearly express my abhorrence of the military caste which has sunk Spain in an ocean of pain and death.
– Pablo Picasso
Interpreting the painting tends to be subjective; while there is clear symbolism throughout, some of which is clear – such as the woman on the left mourning the loss of her babe-in-arms; the woman with arms upraised to the right, the lick of flames both above and below her, the fallen, dismembered soldier -, so to is there symbolism (or metaphor) which is harder to discern. The presence of the bull and horse, for example; both animals have enormous significance in Spanish culture, and would appear to have significance here – but Picasso himself warned against reading too much into their presence other than, perhaps, as symbols of his nation.
London Junkers: Guernica – January 2023
But that said, the overall horror and destruction, the pain, death and sorrow that surround war is all too clearly evident throughout the piece. As such, when visiting London’s installation, I strongly recommend viewing it from far enough back so you can see all of the piece in a single frame such that it might be viewed as the original. From here all the nuances of the piece can be seen, such as the way the horse’s nose, nostrils and teeth offer a stylised human skull, for example. By moving / camming close helps to bring individual pieces within London’s interpretation of Picasso’s work, allowing us to ponder their meaning.
This symbolism also extends to the landing point / event stage for the installation. Sharing the same black / white / greyscale tones as the painting, this area features two Junkers dive bombers (not actually used in the Guernica raid, but utterly symbolic of the terror of warfare), swooping down on the stage. Between them, a dove – the symbol of peace – sits trapped within a sphere, a symbolism which speaks for itself. Above this sits the trunk of a tree, representative of both the line of Gernikako Arbola, or [oak] Tree of Guernica – a central facet of the Biscayan people (and by extension, Basques as a whole); and the third tree in the series (1858-2004), which miraculously survived the bombing of the town. Finally, two board on the stage provide, respectively, an introduction to the installation and London’s own indictment of war, in the form of a poem, might be read.
London Junkers: Guernica – January 2023
When writing about the original presentation of this installation in 2012, I noted it might be said that the bombing of Guernica washed away the last vestiges of the romanticism so often afforded war through word, verse and idealism. Sadly, it did not bring an end to war itself, as witnessed by the events that followed on the heels of the Spanish Civil War, and all the conflicts since, per the opening comments of this piece.
In this, and given all that is occurring within Ukraine in particular (and before it, Georgia), the return of Guernica to Second Life at this time helps reminds us that so long as we are driven by the need for power, for dominance (and dominion) over others and in elevating politics and / or religion above our fellow humans, the innocent will continue to suffer under the yoke of war.
Headgear has long played is significant role within societies around the world, particularly in terms of denoting spirituality or royalty. This is potentially for two reasons. The first is that, as the highest point on the human body, the head is the best point from which to indicate authority, and so elaborate or distinctive headgear the best means to signal said authority. The second is that, being the part of the body with the proximity to the heavens, and thus potentially the first point of contact with the divine or spirits descending from on high, the top of the head is considered, and thus should be covered as a sign of modesty and deference.
More widely, hats, headwear, traditional headdress, and so on, having long been a means of expression throughout societies and communities the world over. They can indicate everything from broader religious adherence to social status / profession, societal adherence (it is not that long ago that in many western societies it was considered uncouth for anyone of educated means – male or female – to appear in public without a hat, and one only has to travel back a little further to reach a time when women were expect to wear a hat, indoors and out), or basic social status. In this, just think of the worker’s flat cap, the British bowler, the Stetson, the fedora, the fez, and allow they evoke.
Some of these ideas are explored within the January / February 2023 art exhibition occupying at the ground level gallery at NovaOwl Gallery, curated and operated by ULi Jansma, Ceakay Ballyhoo & Owl Dragonash, featuring as it does the work of Caly Applewhyte.
NovaOwl Gallery: Caly Applewhyte – Crowns
Self-taught with Photoshop, Caly entered Second Life in 2010 with – as she describes it herself – “no specific goal”, but while exploring the grid, she found an outlet in Second Life photography. As her interest grew, so did a parallel interest in both her own avatar and the ability to use this virtual domain as a means to explore emotions, feelings and ideas, generally through the use of minimalist settings intended to bring the intended focus, the essential theme and emotion, of each piece to the fore.
Within Crowns, Caly offers a series of beautifully minimalist set of pictures exploring the expressive nature of headdress, particularly in terms of spirituality (although there is also a hint of royalty about them as well). Each is highly individual in both form and the style of headdress, one to the next, yet all carry within them core recognition of the implied authority, faith and prowess of the wearer. Not, note that the wearer is necessarily gifted with these abilities – just that their headdress encourages us to view them as such.
In keeping with much of Caly’s work, Crowns does not require a lot to be written about it – each piece clearly and evocatively speaks for itself, with all of them collectively offering a narrative which is easy to follow. As such, I recommend Crowns should be viewed rather than written about – and I’ll leave you with the SLurl once more to allow you to do so.
Opening on Friday, January 6th, 2023 at Frank Atisso’s Artsville gallery complex is Endless – Through My Eyes by Lunaspina Anatine. Occupying Gallery 2 at the complex, this is a selection of landscape pieces which have been taken within a single region, that of Sombre Nyx’s Endless: Birdlings Flat, each one utilising a minimalist approach and compositional style which immediate capture the eye and the imagination.
This is clearly evident from the first image within the series – Endless 01, located just inside the left side entrance to the hall as you enter it. The images presents a view of a set of communications dishes set against a cloudy sky. But where are they – what are they? Civilian? Military? On a building or high on a mast?
Artsville: Lunaspina Anatine, January 2023
In successive images we encounter more – a field in a misty dawn (or perhaps late afternoon) and a grid of upright posts, slender wires strung between them. They appear to be sitting within a field – but again, what are they? A place where vines are to be planted and grown for their crop of grapes? If so, then where are the vertical lines for the vines to grow along? So if not that, then what?
Thus, as we progress around the images, these is the invitation for us to form a story around them. as to what they may represent. Of course, those familiar with Birdlings Flat (which I wrote about it here) may opt just to enjoy the images in this exhibition in their own right; and there is nothing wrong with this, nor do visitors need to be familiar with the region. Seeking a narrative is purely a matter of choice; these are images which can be enjoyed in their own right and as individual compositions.
Artsville: Lunaspina Anatine, January 2023
At the same time, these pieces – beautifully post-processed and making superb use of various EEP settings – speak to the marvels of Second Life, a place that can be visually expressive, filled with opportunities to explore yet also at times empty of of people – just as many remote parts of the physical world (such as the eastern end of Kaitorete Spit on which Birdlings Flat is based) can be as well. Within each one, Lunaspina perfectly captures the essence of the term endless.
I confess that I’m not aware of having witnessed an individual exhibition by Lunaspina, and I was immediately captivated by her overall approach to her images – camera placement, angle, subject focus, used of depth-of-field, etc., – in that I could not help but see a strong similarity to the work of another artist I admire hugely – Melusina Parkin. This should not be taken to mean either artist is in any way derivative of the other; rather they both have a eye for composition that I find attractive and engaging and which teases out their subject gently to their audience.
Artsville: Lunaspina Anatine, January 2023
A warm, easy-to-appreciate exhibition of landscape art which is – as noted – also beautifully layered, Endless – Through My Eyes is well worth visiting.
In 2016 I visited the wrote by the Peace is a Choice Gallery, founded and curated by Dove (TheDove Rhode) and located on the north coast of Nautilus. Originally founded as the the S&S Gallery of Fine Art more than 15 years ago, the gallery has grown to a region-wide centre of 2D and 3D art, both collected by Dove and provided by the artists, the displays of art both indoors and out with event spaces.
At the time of my 2016, the focal point for the gallery was its impressive glass-and-steel main building (one of Calpo Wrexler’s extraordinary designs) which was bracketed by outdoor display areas and a dance studio. Whilst the main hall remains, the external facilities appear – at least to my eyes and a memory that is admittedly dimmed by the intervening years – have increased to offer more space for artists, including what appear to be dedicated parcels.
Peace is a Choice, January 2023
Within the main gallery building – the entrance to which forms the landing point for the centre – visitors may find 2D and 3D art, animated and static, by the likes of Cica Ghost, Bryn Oh, CioTToLiNa Xue, Chao’s’Chen (sChen), Moya Patrick (Moya Janus), Nessuno Myoo, Morlĭ (MORLITA Quan), Alo (Aloisio Congrejo), all of which have been provided by way of Dove’s personal collection of art, which are joined by pieces donated / exhibited by some of the artists named above and also the likes of Daco Monday, Robin Moore, Noke Yuitza, Russel Eponym, Gleman Jun, Fuschia Nightfire, and Ink van Helsinki (Instincta Starchild).
Beyond the main hall are additional installations of 3D art, together with some indoors and 2D gallery spaces. These outdoor areas present works by Vroum Short, Kerupa Flow, Haveit Neox, Kicca Igaly, Tansee, Igor Ballyhoo and several of the already-named artists above, together with dedicated spaces by Paula Cloudpainter (paula31atnight), Rage Darkstone and TerraMerhyem, Cherry Manga, and Vincent Priesley (sweetvincent).
Peace is a Choice: Vroum Short – January 2023
As I noted in August 2016, such is volume of art and its placement across the centre’s land, Peace is a Choice offers one of the most engaging displays of art:
Whether you start your explorations inside or outside the gallery is entirely a matter of choice; there is no set path to follow, and Dove has wisely placed the art so that there are no assigned areas for individual artists. This allows for some interesting juxtapositions of art, technique and expression, allowing visitors to gain a strong feel for contrasting styles among artists in Second Life.
– Myself, August 2016
Peace is a Choice, January 2023
Getting around the various installations can be a little bewildering – during my 2016 visit I found myself flycamming a lot, and did the same this time around. However, explorations during my original visit were also aide by the presences of a teleport system; while it is entirely possible I missed it this time around, I did try to keep an eye out for it. On the plus side, this encourages exploration on foot,
A further complication to easy exploration is that some of the parcels, such as by walking around the front and sides of the main gallery to reach the beach and and outside deck display areas. However, it was disappointing to note that some of the connecting exhibition parcels are restricted to those with Payment Information On File (PIOF). Whilst once a common practice to discourage griefing, used within what is intended to be a public space does run the risk of itself being seen as unwelcoming by those new to Second Life who are simply exploring and seeking places of interest to engage their curiosity, but who have not yet registered a payment method with Linden Lab.
Peace is a Choice, January 2023
This aside, Peace is a Choice makes for a fascinating visit, with much to see and and appreciate, with one of the richest cross-sections of art past and present to be found in Second Life.
Inara Pey: Living in a Modemworld 