Category: Art in Second Life

Just over a year ago, I wrote about Venus by the Water, a Homestead region designed by Elizabeth (ElizabethNantes) and Cecilia Nansen. It featured a captivating setting, as I described in A Venus by the Water in Second Life, one which included the Gallery Björk.

Sadly, Venus by the Water has since closed, but Gallery Björk continues within a skybox location and featuring a new, light and expansive building sitting on a sandy island offering views on all sides out over open waters. Given the building appears to have been designed as a residential structure rather than a gallery / commercial structure, it’s an interesting choice for a venue – one that works well.

My visit was to see Essence of a Man, an exhibition organised by Cecilia and Elizabeth and featuring an ensemble gathering of pieces by male artist-photographers, which Cecilia describes thus:

We have asked a group of 11 men to create a black and white image depicting their personal interpretation of “the essence of a man”.

The 11 invited artists, who each submitted a single image, are: “Aegean”, “A. Salvatore”, Ayden Huntsman , Creep Wolff, Klint Kord, LordDylan Ansaldo , “Pedro”, “PK”, Shad Whybrow, “The Base Of Bad Ideas”, and Titus Palmira (quotes used against some names, as the gallery only appears to reference display names, making positive identification of the artists difficult).

Individual pieces are to be found throughout the rooms of the lower floor of the gallery and are placed such there no more than two in a given space – hallway or room –, allowing each piece to be appreciated without distraction as one meanders through the gallery.

While each is highly individual, almost without exception, the majority of the pieces focus on “alphaness” – buffness, muscle and bare chests – as representative of the male essence. Outside of Vulnerability and Strength by Pedro (note the way the guitar is being held as if shielding its owner), there is very little display of the softer, more vulnerable, aspects of the male nature.

I say this not as a critique of any of the pieces or the artists, rather – and allowing for the fact that such a direction might have been implied as a part of the invite to participate – that I find it interesting. Perhaps it is a reflection of the core difference between how men and women see as defining characteristics within their respective genders. Either way, each of the pieces is fully deserving of consideration in its own right, and all of which makes Essence of a Man any engaging and provocative / evocative exhibition; one well worth viewing.

SLurl Details

• Gallery Björk (Gravity, rated Adult)

In Japanese culture, names often convey profound meanings through kanji characters. One such concept conveyed by kanji is that of ‘hidden’, signifying mystery and secrecy, adding depth to a name. While I am no expert and am open to correction, I believe one such kanji is Inoru (“hidden”), which lends itself to a number of potential meanings in combination with other kanji, such that it might be used to form ideas such as hidden one, hidden village, hidden flower, and so on.

Another kanji is 祕, which can be taken as ‘secret’, ‘hidden’ and / or ‘conceal’, and at the Kondor Art Centre, Angelika Corral uses this Kanji as the focal point for what is a simply marvellous exhibition of black and white photography with a strong lean towards chiaroscuro, entitled Seeing Without Seeing.

Angelika has deep roots within the Second Life arts community as both as a curator of art and as a photographer. In the former role, she was a co-creator and operator of DaphneArts, in its time one of the foremost Second Life galleries in presenting exhibitions both ensemble and singular, which explored complex and rich themes.

As a photographer, Angelika works primarily in black-and-white, focusing on avatar studies noted for their depth and introspection, whilst carrying a richness of artistic technique and classic photography. Such is her skill, in 2022, she won Flickr/SmugMug’s World Photography Day award in the virtual photography category for I’m not just what you see, an award highlighting both her ability to craft compelling visual narratives within virtual environments and the validity of such environments as a vehicle for artistic expression.

The title of that winning piece actually resonates with the theme for Seeing Without Seeing, which Angelika describes thus:

This series is an invitation into the quiet … These images do not shout. They whisper. They leave space. They suggest rather than explain.

Inspired by traditional Japanese principles, these images aim to slow the act of looking. They are meant to be lingered [upon]. The subtle textures, partial forms, and quiet moments ask: what might lie just beyond the visible?

– Angelika Corral

Thus, within the images on offer, we are asked to look beyond the partial (and in places fragmented) nature of individual photographs and consider the nuances of framing, cropping, lighting and pose, and allow each piece and see what lies beyond, not what is presented in an of itself. To allow each each picture to talk to us in its own voice and listen to whatever narrative – or narratives – it might suggest.

Given the above, I am not going to offer my own interpretations here, but simply recommend Seeing Without Seeing to your own eyes. Just be sure to look closely and listen to what each piece might decide to whisper.

SLurl Details

• Kondor Art Centre (Royal Tea, rated Adult)

Currently open within The Annex at Nitroglobus Roof Gallery, operated by Dido Haas, is an engaging and provocative exhibition of photography by artist-photographer and poet, MarVayu. It is also one with a curious origin, because unlike most exhibitions offered within SL, the images on display are not a selection of pieces specifically made to be exhibited as a self-contained collection, but have been drawn from an archive of discarded work, having originally been made at various times with the idea of being used to accompany MarVayu’s poetry.

Which is not to say that there are an entirely random selection either. Rather, they are reflections of thoughts on identity and self, of who a person is when they realise they exist in more than one reality, be it physical or virtual. In being drawn from multiple projects for which they had never been used, the images both have a unique dynamic one to the next when viewed,  and offer threads of ideas and narrative on how a person and their sub-personalities might be informed as much by their presence within Second Life on a subconscious level as much as they consciously seek to influence and control the perception they and others have of them through the platform.

In reflection of this, the exhibition is entitled Ipseities, the plural of Ipseity, a term derived from the Latin ipse – “self”, a label, if you will, used to define who we most broadly are when all the aspects of our “self” are taken into account – physical, mental and – in this particular case, virtual.

In philosophical terms, ipseity is the foundational quality that makes an individual unique, influencing their perspectives, decisions, and interactions with the world. As such, given the thread and ideas MarVayu presents within the exhibition, its use is well-chosen on two levels. The first of these is that idea of exploring the multiple facets of who one is in oneself; and secondly, and more esoterically, because of the aforementioned way the pieces within the exhibition have been drawn from other aspects of MarVayu’s work – of her own self, if you will.

 Ipseity is also used to reference a psychological phenomenon: that of self-disorder, or ipseity disturbance. This is a condition in which a person’s fundamental sense of self is disrupted such that they believe their internal experiences – thoughts dreams, emotions – are actually external, bringing the condition close to schizophrenia spectrum disorders.

I raise this latter point because while the artist does not expressly indicate an intentional to explore self-disorder, I personally could not help but find it relevant to this exhibition for a couple of reasons. Firstly, because some of the images do strongly lean into the nature of the condition in their presentation; secondly, because involvement within Second Life can be a form of ipseity disturbance: we involve ourselves in a non-physical world, one in which we can experience so much, which can become so personally real, whilst at the same time being entirely divorced from the physical world we also inhabit.

I’m intentionally not going to it offer personal interpretations of individual pieces within Ipseities; it is far better that people follow the threads MarVayu offers to reach their own destinations / conclusions. This is an exhibition with a lot to say, and the monochrome images are exquisite in their depth of emotion, ideas and presentation, and are perfectly complimented by the lighting and 3D elements within the Annex.

SLurl Details

•  Ipseities – The Annex at Nitroglobus (Sunshine Homestead, rated Moderate)

It has been some time since I had the pleasure to view the art of Miles Cantelou. This is in part because I gather he took a leave of absence from Second Life some time after I last had an opportunity to visit one of his exhibitions (see: Lucid Dreams with Miles Cantelou in Second Life). Given this, I was delighted to receive a note from him indicating he was once again active in SL, and inviting me to visit his latest undertaking, a multi-gallery complex showcasing his work.

Located on a portion of a Homestead region Scirocco Art Galleries occupies both the ground level and skyboxes which gather elements of Miles’ extensive catalogue of art and styles, with the ground level also offering spaces for relaxation, meditation and Tai Chi.

What started as a couple of galleries has now become a kind of Terra Mitica and I have to say, it’s been a lot of creative fun which continues every day.

– Miles Cantelou

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, whilst encompassing genres from abstract through surrealism to abstracted expressionism, with a strong lean into using light and light forms. Much of his work is colour-rich and boldly stated – although this is not always the case, as is demonstrated particularly within Ice, one of the smaller exhibitions within the Artist’s Block galleries space.

The latter is one of the skybox areas with the parcel, and one which – going from the sign displayed at the time of my visits – still in development, and planned to be a space for artists. Reached via the teleport board system which links all the various galleries and public spaces, it was home to a set of smaller exhibitions by Miles at the time of my visit, starting with the aforementioned Ice, featuring stunningly engaging blended photography portraits.

Joining Ice is Expo Retro Amsterdam, a truly magnificent series of images and street photography taken from around Amsterdam taken and processed in such a way as to bring a whole new vision of that city to life; Outback, a highly individualised reflection of Australian aboriginal art in  places given an abstracted lean; and Forest, a series of abstract paintings for forest environments.

As I’ve stated in the past with regards to Miles’ work, it constantly expands boundaries; physically and metaphorically. Physically, because it embraces art genres, such as those noted above, whilst often offering a unique look and feel, a blending of styles, approaches and ideas that renders his work unique unto itself – whilst still being utterly approachable.

Take, for example, the display of street art present within the Brutbuild gallery, a name referencing the minimalist style of architecture common in post-war Britain in the 1950s and 1960 called Brutalist architecture, and which eschewed decorative design in favour of basic materials and structural forms. The gallery’s form is more in keeping with the term than that art it presents; although some of the art within the gallery might be seen as offering subtle nodes to the minimalism of Brutalist expression.

But more the point, within this gallery space is a richness of styles – impressionist, abstract,  surreal, cubist, digitally processed – all beautifully presented and individually approachable and understood – yet each given a unique turn of colour, processing, technique, etc., that leaves it as a suggestion of that metaphysical expansion: that beyond the frame, there is an entire story, an entire world colours and presented through Miles’ eyes, and awaiting our perception.

However, the best way to fully appreciate Miles’ work is to witness it, not read about it. Each of the major gallery spaces presents a themed collection (e.g. the Far East, a unique take on China and Japan; Mesoamerica, a homage to the Cubism of Picasso, for example), allowing them to be visited individually or collectively, in a single visit or across several, making it very easy to immerse yourself in Miles’ work.

Highly recommended for all lovers of art.

SLurl Details

• Scirocco Art Galleries (Power Point, rated: Moderate)