Tag: Art 2026

It’s been over a year since I last had the opportunity to visit a exhibition of art by Melusina Parkin; I suspect the reason for this is us both having things going on in the physical world which have taken up time and attention. However, that does not excuse the fact I’m a little tardy in getting to this particular exhibition, as Melu originally invited me to pay it a visit back in May 2026 – an invitation I immediately filed and then had a lapse of memory over (one of many of late!); so my apologies to her for only just having been able to visit.

Fortunately, the new exhibition is a permanent set occupying the upper level of Melu’s Minimal Gallery. It presents something of a tour de force of her work in two parts. The outermost is called The Labyrinth and the inner Cold Days. Together they offer 100 of Melu’s distinctive images of locations found within Second Life, with the outer of the two collections taking its name from the use of wall space to guide people around and eventually and gently direct them to the inner collection.

What is deeply engaging about Melu’s work is the manner in which she frames it. Rather than looking at a whole scene, she finds a specific point of view and within it a specific focal point to compose her picture around both through camera placement and angle coupled with considered cropping. The result – whether the subject is a landscape, an open space, architecture or an everyday time such as a chair or a view through a window, or the mesh of a wire fence – is to offer something which captures the eye and the imagination.

These are pieces which tell a portion of a story; but quite what part of the story- beginning, middle or end – and what it might be about is up to each of us to decide. In this – and as I’ve noted in the past in covering Melu’s art – her work both prompts us to create narratives around what we see, and it demonstrates that Second Life itself is a place of the imagination; of dreams made real, the places we as creators would like to live within or visit.

It also, in contrast to this latter point, helps us to perceive aspects of the digital realm which mimic what might be found anywhere in the physical world, be it along a street or when looking up at a skyline or out over a foggy coast or along the rolling tide of a sun-swept hills; the things which we might otherwise take for granted when seen as a part of an entire scene but which through Melusina’s lens, helps to to perceive why Second Life is so real for do many of us; a place we can inhabit.

All of this is very much in evidence as one walks around and through The Labyrinth with its 80 images. These are presented with no centralised theme, but instead flow gently from landscapes to urban settings and back, each perspective unique, colour images mixing easily with those in monochrome. Cold Days, offering 20 images is likewise mixed – but here there is something of an over-arching theme, as suggested by the collection’s title.

Within these pieces, the sense of shortening days, cold winds, the threat of rain or snow is evident without ever being the dominating factor; instead it is hinted at through the heavy skies, the use of monochrome and / or largely muted colours. There is a gentle hint of threat in many of the pieces – be it in the form of rain or snow or indeed, emanating from the structures seen in some of the pieces, their faces bleak and grey and / or blocky and uninviting. But is it the leaden sky that makes the structures seem oppressive and downcast, or is the the unforgiving angular forms of warehouses, apartment blocks which cause the sky to feel so dour?

Which is not to say these are bleak pictures, rather that (again) they offer our imaginations the opportunity to create unique narratives around them. And when colour does blaze forth it does so in a manner that is uplifting and rich in the promise of brighter, warmer days or the promise of warmth and safety from the brooding weather. Just look at the way the yellow cab of a VW van noses into one picture, or the manner in which a neon advertising sign reminds us the days will be fresher, brighter, or the comfort is seeing the stalwart tower of a lighthouse warding those at sea away from harm or the hint of a front door just around the corner and the promise of warmth and cosiness beyond it.

As always with Melusina’s work, The Labyrinth and Cold Days offer a rewarding visit for lovers of SL art.

SLurl Details

• Minimal Gallery (Lunula, rated Moderate)

On June 12, 2026 a new ensemble exhibition opens at Serena Arts Centre. Entitled Between Dreams and Reality, it features the work of 18 Second Life artists, the majority of whom offer pairs of 2D images ranged within the gallery’s domed display spaces and along the walkways between them.

Given the number of artists participating, the range of art on display is broad: from SL-centric through to images uploaded from the physical world, be they purely digital in nature, paintings, or mixed media. Mixed among the 2D displays are a number of 3D pieces, including Azrael, a striking piece by TerraMerhyem featuring the canonical angel of death.

To list all the artists participating in the exhibition would be somewhat tedious to read, so instead I’ll offer the gallery’s description of the event:

We ‘re glad to Invite our visitors to explore their own imagination, reflect on the nature of dreams, and discover how they influence our daily reality. Such an exhibition could not only captivate visitors but also encourage them to explore their own inner worlds. Our Artists have created works representing dreamlike landscapes, fantastic characters, or scenes drawn from their dreams. The theme of dreams and imagination allows for creativity and introspection so artists can express themselves freely and they will eagerly expect your feedback.

Serena Arts Centre: Between Dreams and Reality, June 2026

The use of space across the exhibition allows visitors to wander freely and appreciate the art without feeling overly hemmed-in by other pieces / artists, allowing the eye and imagination to properly focus on what they are seeing within each piece. This encourages the grey matter to cogitate and the imagine to weave possible stories.

An engaging and expressive exhibition, Between Dreams and Reality officially opens at 12:00 noon SLT on June 12, 2026, with music provided by DJ TaccaExotic.

SLurl Details

• Serena Arts Centre main landing point (Serena Hub, rated Moderate)

“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)