Tag: Art 2026

“This exhibition is a summary of the last fifteen years of my work as an artist; mostly as a Second Life artist.” Bamboo Barnes says of her exhibition Ko Ko Ko Ko, which opened at Frank Atisso’s Artsville in Second Life on June 1st, 2026.

Occupying three sky platforms – one forming the entrance level and the other two the gallery levels, all linked via a teleport system which also connects back to Artsville’s ground level – this might be said to be something of a retrospective of Bamboo’s art, although I found myself looking on it more as an introspective celebration of her work.

That I use the term “introspective” with regards to Bamboo’s work should come as no surprise; her work is rich in both her use of colour and framing and in her ability to offer reflections of her inner self; reflections that very often chime with our own, becoming something personal to both artist and viewer.

“Celebration” is equally valid in that the pieces within the exhibition do reflect the many facets of Bamboo’s art; art which has developed and changed over the years whilst remaining indelibly Bamboo. In this it also celebrate the fact that many of these changes have caught Bamboo herself by surprise, as someone who acknowledges that in life, she is uncomfortable with change.

There were times when my work took unexpected turns. Maybe it was inevitable. I came to love those changes in my creative path — otherwise I would not have continued loving my own art.

Bamboo Barnes

Discomfort with change is also something that resonates in all of us. Few people like uncertainty in which the outcome cannot be foreseen; we’re often far more content to maintain the status quo. But without change we risk atrophy – and that is a state which cannot be applied to Bamboo’s art. It has grown and changed over the years, often in the most subtle of ways, each new experiment or turn of style adding to the sum total of her ability to express, to touch, to engage with us.

Bamboo notes that the term “ko” carries multiple meanings, whilst “koko” can mean “here”. I’m personally please that she is here in SL, quietly creating images and art, gently prompting us to consider who and where we are through the prism of her own self-reflection.

SLurl Details

• Ko Ko Ko Ko at Artsville (Isle of Thunder, rated Moderate)

It’s been a while since I’ve had the pleasure of visiting an exhibition of art by Thus Yootz; and to be honest with things being what they have been of late, I likely came perilously close to missing this one, considering it originally opened some two months ago at the Kondor Arts Centre, curated and operated by Hermes Kondor!

Hauling from Greece, Thus studied for a BA and MA in art over 5 years at the Athens School of Fine Arts, studying under masters such as Christakis Tassos, and has enjoyed success down the years exhibiting her art in the physical world. In joining Second Life, Thus has – like many of us – tried her hands at numerous activities: region designer, content creator, photographer, wedding planner and artist, demonstrating her love of expression and creativity.

As one might expect given her qualifications and creativity, Thus’ art is richly diverse in its influences and presentation, something which guarantees those visiting her exhibitions will be well rewarded for doing so. With this exhibition – which so far as I could tell is untitled – this diversity of influence and style is much in evidence.

Spread across the lobby entrance and main floor of the gallery hall, the exhibition presents 16 large format pieces, the majority of which lean towards abstract, where colour and geometry rule more than form and reality. Even in images that carry recognisable elements – a boat, trees, buildings, and so on – there is something otherworldly in how they are presented; as if we are being lifted to a higher plane of existence  / awareness in which the familiar is made new.

Some of the pieces carry an interesting oriental lean, giving them an interesting cultural mix as they bring together hints of classical oriental life – lanterns, older buildings, painted calligraphy – but seen through a modernistic lens suggestive of computer lines, neon, and digital extraction. In doing so, they become a perfect representation of how one might imagine far eastern countries embrace both the modern and their long histories.

Thus, all of these pieces are dynamic, both it terms of their form and presentation and in what they say to us, from eliciting admiration for their sheer artistry and emotional content (Fury, Lavender Meadows and Japanese Red) through aforementioned cultural blending (perhaps most noticeably – but not limited to – Walking Down that Musical Road, Her World and Neon Melody), to even whispered commentary of the depth and beauty of nature (Explosive Flowers as it illustrates the intense beauty and colour of nature here on Earth in a manner that could be said to reflect the beauty of the cosmos around as seen via gas clouds and nebulae).

In all, another stunning selection of art – but do be sure to hop over to see it sooner rather than later. And my apologies to Thus for my tardiness in doing so myself!

SLurl Details

• Kondor Art Centre (Royal Tea, rated Adult)

Jules  Neville (Jules Catlyn), co-owner of Andante Gallery along with Iris Okiddo (IrisSweet), invited me to visit their latest exhibition, featuring the work of Burleh Leonard, entitled Liquid Landscapes.

Until this exhibition, I hadn’t come across Burleh’s work, and having now visited, I have to say I’ve been missing out. His work is predominantly focused on Second Life landscapes, offering unique and captivating views of the diversity and beauty of SL locations, touched with the use of preferred EEP settings / post-processing techniques.

This is very much the case with Liquid Landscapes, a curated series of Burleh’s work. Across 19 images, he takes us on a tour of some of Second Life’s public spaces, capturing them through the lens of his camera and the eye of his imagination to present views that offer their subjects in the richest of colours through to the clarity of monochrome.

Each image invites the eye to admire and entices the eye to visit its subject. In this, it is a pity SLurls to all of the locations are not included with the pictures (something many of us are guilty of when exhibiting our work!). However, SLurls can be obtained through Burleh’s Flickr stream, from which the images are drawn, for those wishing to visit any given location (the sometimes transient nature of SL locations allowing!).

These very much are images by a photographer-artist exceptionally comfortable with both his subjects and the tools at his disposal, allowing him to frame moments in time and places with which we might well be familiar, in a manner that might well be very different to how they appear to the naked eye on visiting them. However, all of them nevertheless capture the spirit of their subjects and entice us to look at them anew.

In all, a superb exhibition well suited to Andante’s modest size and layout (utilising mirrored copies of the excellent Apple Fall Country Hall (a building I’ve in the past similarly modified to create a comfortable home), which allows art to be displayed in a manner that naturally encourages time to be spent with each image and without any single piece feeling like it is being crowded out by those around it demanding their share of our attention at the same time.

SLurl Details

• Andante Gallery (Amityville, rated Adult)