Tag: Art 2019

Ice is the name of an exhibition by Fluer Heartsdale Chun (Fluer Heartsdale), now on display at the Artist in Residence gallery at InterstellART. This is a fascinating exhibition of real-life photography focused – as the title suggests – the subject of ice.

My journey into art began many years ago as a child while watching my grandmother paint. I experimented with many different mediums before falling in love with photography. Photography allows me to capture the world as I see it and show it to others.

– Fluer Heartsdale Chun discussing her art.

While perhaps in keeping with the time of year (at least in the northern hemisphere!), ice is also unique subject for photography, it is a unique substance, able to present itself in many different ways and forms, Fluer’s images demonstrate this, as well as revealing her eye and talent as a photographer.

When looking around my eye is drawn to the hidden and often overlooked common objects that surround us. With the aid macro lens I am able to capture and bring to light that which is often overlooked.

– Fluer Heartsdale Chun discussing her art.

Often seen as a colourless, sometimes clear, sometimes cloudly creation and generally thought of as smooth and evenly surfaced, ice can in fact be alive with both colour and form. Individual crystals are multi-faceted; they are both delicate and yet tremendously strong when unified. When we look at a surface of ice, it can be like looking into a frosted pane of glass or seeing the roll of waves on a pond or observing a limb of the Moon. All this and more is perfectly captured in the images Fleur presents within this exhibition.

With my macro lens I am able to take close-up photos which show that there is much more to ice than is visible to the naked eye. In the future I will collecting water from different sources to freeze and photograph, so that I may document any difference in how they freeze and photograph.

– Fluer Heartsdale Chun discussing her art.

This is a truly unique set of photographs, and one I thoroughly recommend seeing for yourself. When visiting, I would also suggest setting your viewer to midnight to fully appreciate the photos.

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• InterstellART (Nice Atoll, rated: Moderate)

Now open on the mezzanine level of Club LA and Gallery, curated by Fuyuko ‘冬子’ Amano (Wintergeist), is an intriguing exhibition by Joss Floss.

Fracture Facture (or possibly just Fracture) is an unusual curio of a piece that defies attempts to quantify it – which I tend to think is intentional. It is also very cleverly presented, mixing 2D and 3D elements that I suspect in places are both slightly tongue-in-cheek whilst simultaneously intended to challenge perceptions.

What amounts to eight individual pieces are arranged around the walls and on the floor, each presenting a very specific vignette, starting with (in terms of being nearest to the stairs up to the level), the titular piece Fracture. No liner notes are provided to the exhibition or to the individual pieces, so interpretation is purely in the eyes of the beholder.

For my part (and given the way my mind works), I felt several of the pieces perhaps carry a subtext on the subject of identity, which rage from how we perceive our worth in life, to the manner in which some may objectify others, unable to see them as individuals, through to a need to reinforce ego, with (perhaps) a metaphor for our lives always in a state of flux (or perhaps “repair”). Another of the pieces struck me (whether intentional or not) as gently mocking the more highbrow approach to art, as it put me in mind of the over-inflated view taken of a certain English artist’s “autobiographical” work. However, I do emphasise that there is absolutely no objective reason why this should be so, in terms of the piece by Joss.

But this is the real charm of the items in little exhibition. Like the artist, they defy being put in a box, but instead ask to each be seen and judged on the basis of how it presents itself to us, without a broader constraint of exhibition theme, or stated ideal on the artist’s part.

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• Club LA and Gallery (Amano, rated: Moderate)

Kultivate magazine and the Windlight Art Gallery are celebrating the re-opening of the latter – now housed in a new gallery building – with their first art exhibition for 2019.

Officially opened on Sunday, January 6th, 2019 at 13:00 SLT (a time I was unfortunately unable to make in-world, despite being one of the artists – my apologies to all), the exhibition features work by 18 artists: Camellia (captainofmysoul), Marcel Mosswood, Maaddi Benazzi (maaddi), Caly (CalystiaMoonshadow), Dream Kolda (DreamMakerXDreamBreaker), Kayly Iali, artandsoul Constantine, Cybelle Moon (Hana Hoobinoo), anyia, Jamee Sandalwood Hiess (Jamee Sandalwood), Tequila Mockingbird (Tequila Krovac), Pieni, Kody Meyers (KodyMeyers), Fuyuko ‘冬子’ Amano (Wintergeist), John Brianna (johannes1977), Karma Daxeline (Karma Weymann), Seraphim Placebo and, as noted, yours truly.

Such a gathering brings together a rich mix of art and images, encompassing both the physical and the virtual. John Brianna, Kayly Iali, Marcel Mosswood and Pieni, for example, offer a mix of their own paintings and drawings, Cybele Moon presents more of her captivating fantasy images, and artandsoul Constantine offers a selection of physical world photographs.

As might be expected, the SL images largely split themselves between avatar studies and landscapes, although Kody Meyers present some quite stunning interpretations of Mistero Kifeng’s sculptures. I also have to admit to being drawn to both the marvellous monochrome winter images by Jamee Sandalwood Hiess and aniya’s self-portraits.

The new Windlight gallery building is a design from the Fanatik range and which is popular among gallery owners. It offers plenty of space, with high ceilings and good lighting, while an upper level offers additional display space, its mezzanine design avoiding any feeling that the space is crowded.

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• Windlight Art Gallery (Water Haven, rated: Moderate)

Opening on Saturday, January 5th, 2019 at the Lyric Art Gallery is Visual Feast: Black and White, an exhibition featuring over 30 artists (and for which I’m kicking myself, as I was invited to participate… and then forgot!). Each of those artists participating was asked to submit and image on the theme of winter landscapes, although some of the art displayed takes a slightly different turn on presentation, with several pieces, while monochrome, focused on avatars.

Exhibitions like this are often an interesting way of getting to see work by artists / photographers with whom you might not be familiar or otherwise get to see – or to re-acquaint oneself with the work of artists not seen in a while. Such is the case for myself, in coming across First Touch by  Leonorah Beverly, and artist whose work I only recently encountered for the first time, instantly finding her landscape work instantly captivating. With First Touch, whilst not a landscape, demonstrates her skill in presenting an evocative story within an image.

Within those pictures that keep more-or-less to the theme of winter landscapes, these is a fascinating mix; from “straight-forward” pieces with fields of snow or trains chugging between snow banks, or houses sheltering under thick blankets of snow, through to more subtle views of winter: snowflakes drifting through an open window (Black and White by Beccha); or wonderfully atmospheric, with a bridge caught under a sullen sky; the clouds portents of cold weather (Bridge Over Troubled Water by Mishe Mactavish).

The avatar studies are equally  broad ranging, with several encompassing the winter theme as the setting, others focused purely on the avatar(s) imaged. While it is not surprising avatars get to feature in some of the images – we can be much a part of a winter setting as fir trees, snowmen and frozen ponds -, I admit to being surprised at the number of images that more-or-less eschew the winter theme (or present it only minimally) in favour of presenting a portrait, either completely or to a greater degree. Which is not to say any of them are any the less captivating – I found Pure by Andre Mascot (Snouman) particularly striking, for example.

All told a very eclectic, engaging exhibition that offer more of a mix than might be expected from the invitation / greeter description. For those able to attend, the official opening will take place at 11:00 SLT, on Saturday, January 5th, 2019, with music by DJ Fae.

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• Lyric ArtGallery (Sea, rated: Moderate)

Now open at the Lin C Art Gallery, curated by Lin Carlucci, is an exhibition by ViktorSavior, presenting a three-part mix of his art, and which makes for an interesting visit.

On the ground floor, and directly inside the main doors, Viktor offers 21 of his physical world paintings of the natural world. I’m not sure of the medium used, although they appear to perhaps be watercolours, they offer wide open views of land, sea and the night sky, with a particular emphasis on mountains, and with a lean towards the use of blue.

Each of the paintings might have been inspired by a physical world location, either personally seen or viewed through image or photograph, or which might be entirely drawn from the imagination. Which they are hardly matters, as each piece has its own story to tell. Expressive of a love of the night, the dawn, mountains (something to which I can very much relate, as I have a love of mountains myself and they are one of the few things I can actually draw in a meaningful way!), and nature as a whole.

These are paintings that, if you give them a chance, will   draw you into them, placing you on a windswept coast where the wind and unseen rocks pull the sea into rearing, frothing beasts; where a river winding down through woodland draws you to wonder what lies beyond the mountains from which it has come, or where the night sky beckons from the mountain tops, or the Sun warms a winter’s blanket, and clouds tower into the sky in reflection of the majesty of the mountains below.

Also on the ground floor of the gallery is a series of 18 avatar portraits offered in monochrome and apparently drawn by hand, rather than rendered from photographs. All but four are of female avatars, and all beautifully and simply capture their subjects in a manner not far short of perfect. There is a level of life and emotion within each study that offers a glimpse of possible thoughts and feelings behind the eyes. In a word, they are vibrant in a way perhaps more normally seen in colour images.

This vibrancy continues on the gallery’s mezzanine level, where a further 18 monochrome images are presented, these all full-body images of the male body in motion, most likely dancing at the time the image from which the drawing originated was captured. There is a wonderful sense of dynamic fluidity in each, a grace that speaks of human, not avatar, movement and actions.

The three aspects of this exhibition offer a mix that is rich in its diversity, giving insight into Viktor’s art as eloquent as any biography. There is much to be admired throughout the exhibition, and the paintings are all available for sale. However, were I to be asked, I would have to admit I found myself particularly drawn to the portrait studies, as I found them to be marvellously alive.

The exhibition will remain open through until the start of February 2019.

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• Lin C Art Gallery (Hana Aloha, rated: Moderate)

Bedrich Panacek-Guisse (Bedrich Panacek), co-owner of Ville de Coeur, invited me to visit a new art exhibition in the catacombs beneath the Citadel Gardens.

Among Angels is a story in art presented by JannaWhiskers. It depicts a conversation between a small girl and her mother on the subject of Angels. Images are presented in order, each with an accompanying text element relating the unfolding story. As such, it’s important to follow the directions through the catacombs from the entrance – although this is not hard.

Janna was offered the opportunity to hold the exhibition after winning the Ville de Coeur Autumn Photo Competition. She presents some 30 images, not all of which have an associated text element, but they are all presented in a golden finish that can make details a little hard to discern at times, but which also brings a heavenly, other-worldly look to each, and is perfectly reflective of how we often imagine angels as being creatures of light.

The dialogue is presented in two colours: yellow (or gold, if you prefer), for the young girl, and red for her mother. Their words are woven into a mother / daughter discussion that might be seen as typical of many in the way it reflects the bond of love between the two, but which also reveals more. The child’s perception is clear and through her questions, she not only touches upon, but gently reveals, her mother’s own beliefs and  – faith?

As such, this is an evocative exhibition, one that is ideally suitable to the way it is presented through the halls of the catacombs, the route bringing to life the walk taken by mother and daughter as they talk. A walk given added depth through the inclusion of figurines by Silas Merlin, that offer a further sense of presence and company – or childhood – through the exhibition.

Places to sit are also offered through the halls, allowing visitors time to contemplate the art and appreciate the nuances of the story and the parental / child relationship. In addition, Janna offers a series of wire-frame gift boxes, each of which will present a gift when touched.

A touching exhibition, I couldn’t help but hear Robbie Williams’ Angels, some the lyrics seemed to aptly fit the theme of the exhibition.

And through it all she offers me protection
A lot of love and affection
Whether I’m right or wrong
And down the waterfall
Wherever it may take me
I know that life won’t break me
When I come to call, she won’t forsake me
I’m loving angels instead.

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• Among Angels, Ville de Coeur (Aquitaine Coeur Nord, rated: Moderate)