Tag: Art 2026

An artistic Union of Opposites in Second Life

Posted on by Inara Pey
Kondor Art Centre, August 2026: Janus Fall – Union of Opposites

Within Jungian psychology, the Union (or Unity) of Opposites – also referred to as individuation – is the idea that the ego, the conscious part of the personality that interacts with the external world, must acknowledge and integrate with the “shadow” – the darker, repressed elements of our personality – if we are to achieve balance within ourselves and so gain personal growth and fulfilment of purpose.

It’s a profound concept when you consider that most of our societies through history have been or are predicated on acceptance and rejection of both personality traits and emotional states, rather than seeking to integrate them. We are constantly told to only listen to our “better angels” and reject our “demons”; men are often expected to embrace strength (or stoicism) and reject weakness (or vulnerability), whilst women have often been expected to do the reverse: accept meekness and reject self-assertion, and so on.

Kondor Art Centre, August 2026: Janus Fall – Union of Opposites

In her remarkable exhibition Union of Opposites, which opened at the Kondor Art Centre on July 30, Janus Fall uses a series of captivating avatar studies to present the idea that beauty is found through the integration of opposing elements of our psyche and the harmony of contrasts. In doing so, she also explores the idea of individuation and reminds us of an important lesson.

Given that Second Life avatars remain very limited in their ability to non-verbally communicate much of anything let alone the workings of the ego or the inner “shadow”, the 15 pieces Janus presents nevertheless powerfully communicate of idea that the opposites and contrasts within us form a more unified whole.

Kondor Art Centre, August 2026: Janus Fall – Union of Opposites

They do so through a refined and quite captivating mix of technique and presentation, not just of the avatars themselves – in which expression is marvellously used, given the limitations noted above – but in the backgrounds and the use of colour and geometry. Each piece is a triumph of communication of the exhibition’s themes, whilst also standing as an exquisite work of art in its own right.

Accompanying the pieces are text elements. Some appear drawn from psychology / psychiatry, some from religious texts, some appear to be from Janus herself. All serve to to further challenge our thinking and perception of self and wholeness.

Kondor Art Centre, August 2026: Janus Fall – Union of Opposites

It’s been three years since I last covered an exhibition by Janus, and her work remains as powerful and thought-provoking now as it was then, carrying within it an inherent ability to present concepts, ideas and essays on the nature of self in a marvellously visual a manner.

Contemporary wisdom encourages us to “find” our balance and purpose by looking outside of ourselves, and that once found, that they are somehow immutable. Through Union of Opposites, Janus reminds us that balance and purpose come from within; that, like beauty, they arise from the constant integration of the contrasting qualities of our psyche.

SLurl Details

Abstractions of Gorky Park and of memories and emotions in Second Life

Posted on by Inara Pey
IMAGOLand and Galleries: Kirjat Umarov – The Autumn Sun at Gorky Park and other Stories
If I had to say where I felt most alive in my life, or name the place I long for most, or the one I would want to visit again, the answer is: Moscow.

So notes artist and Second life resident Kirjat Umarov in introducing his exhibition The Autumn Sun at Gorky Park and other Stories, which opened at Mareea Farrasco’s IMAGOLand & Galleries on July 21, 2026.

This is a very personal collection of pieces, centred on a celebration of Gorky Park, which Kirjat notes he has been able to visit in both in spring and winter whilst in Moscow, but never in autumn. Thus within this exhibition we have original art which starts from the idea of imagining Gorky Park in the months of autumn, and which broadens into so much more.

IMAGOLand and Galleries: Kirjat Umarov – The Autumn Sun at Gorky Park and other Stories

This is not, however, a series of “traditional” paintings of landscapes directly reflecting the park and its physical structures as we might see them (photos of which can be found in one corner of the exhibition space). They are abstract in nature, suggesting through their use colour – the yellows and golds of autumn, the pale blues of colder autumnal sky, the greys and darker colours of autumn’s wetter moments.

At the same time, the colours are a reflection of memories of Gorky Park and Kirjat’s life as a whole; the warmer, bright shades representing happier times, the darker colours hinting a times apart or times of sadder thoughts. Within several of the pieces are blocky forms, silhouetted outlines: a church, suggestions of a city’s skyline. They serve both as echoes of the city and nation in which the park sits, and of those more personal memories and emotions.

IMAGOLand and Galleries: Kirjat Umarov – The Autumn Sun at Gorky Park and other Stories

Thus, within all of the pieces lay – as Kirjat calls them – “painted memories”, real or imagined, both from his own experiences and of emotions that might be felt on seeing a familiar place but dressed in the colours of a season for the first time. In this way, they draw us into them and interpret them, gently putting our imaginations to work as they provoke the senses. They create snippets of stories which might be shaped by our own emotions and memories to produce new stories; stories which are not necessarily bound to Gorky Park or Mother Russia. The paintings simply invite us to drift through the libraries of our own memories of places visited, times remembered, times missed, and the seasonal colours of emotion and imagine.

An engaging selection of original physical world art.

Slurl Details

The Art of Gradient Mesh in Second Life

Posted on by Inara Pey
Galeria Danae: Bjarni Danae – The Art of Gradient Mesh

Gradient mesh is a technique for creating complex colour transitions across a surface. Using a grid of adjustable control points, or nodes, it allows multiple colours to blend smoothly in multiple directions such that they flow and create a sense of shape, light and shadow far more organically than is possible when using more traditional linear, radial, diamond or angular gradients, where the transition is along a line or radiating from a single or central point, and with much finer blending than might be achieved using blur gradient.

Within graphics design, gradient mesh can be used in things like user interface design for apps and web pages, through to creating digital art in a rich variety of styles and genres, and with extraordinary depth. It is a technique particularly effective in producing photo-realistic digital art.

Galeria Danae: Bjarni Danae – The Art of Gradient Mesh

This latter use is amply and marvellously demonstrated by Bjarni Guero Danae (Ominur) at his Galeria Danae, home to his exhibition The Art of Gradient Mesh.

Set within a modern, minimalist skybox space, this is a comprehensive collection of gradient mesh art not just because each piece has been created using the technique, but because each image is shown with its corresponding mesh of control points used to give it colour and depth. Thus, we see both the art and the means by which it was given its final form.

Galeria Danae: Bjarni Danae – The Art of Gradient Mesh

From musical instruments to human studies, cars, bottles, flowers, headwear and more, Bjarni presents the rich tapestry of opportunities the technique presents to create the most eye-catching art. I particularly found the pieces featuring musical instruments particularly engaging, given the eye and skill for manipulation of control points to generate a piece of art might be likened to the skills involved in reading music and playing an instrument.

Some of the pieces are so reach in depth, colour, form and presence it is hard to consider them anything but photographs of real objects. Just take the four images of drinks to the left of the bar or (my personal favourite, given I use one to warm to warm the alcohol  – usually kahlua -when making a liqueur coffee!) the brandy warmer, together with the image looking up at a sculpture.

Galeria Danae: Bjarni Danae – The Art of Gradient Mesh

As to why he creates gradient mesh art, Bjarni gives a personal reason as rich and approachable as the pieces on display:

Gradient mesh work makes the world disappear. It makes noise go quiet. It challenges my creating problem-solving, and being good at this helps me be better at everything else. Yes, it is time-consuming … But at the end, it is the satisfying feeling of accomplishment. It’s what I do to relax after designing for others all day long.

Those are perfectly understandable sentiments; because of them, we are all able to enjoy the pieces displayed at Galeria Danae not just because of the manner in which the reveal the structure of gradient mesh so vividly, but because they are all genuinely and uniquely works of artistic refinement and beauty.

Do be sure to visit!

Galeria Danae: Bjarni Danae – The Art of Gradient Mesh

SLurl Details

A Notable Art Gallery and more in Second Life

Posted on by Inara Pey
Notable Art Gallery, July 2026 – click any image for full size

The delightfully named Perspective Doodles is a Full private region leveraging the Land Capacity available to those regions to present a Group-held setting with multiple elements from ancient ruins through a town-like commercial district and a games-focused spa, and an art gallery.

It was the latter – the Notable Art Gallery – which drew me to the region. The work of Nyte Vargas Siegel Setner (Nyte Vargas), the gallery is designed to offer a rich mix of Second Life and physical world art and photography, poetry and special exhibitions and challenges. And it is extremely well organised and presented.

Notable Art Gallery, July 2026

Sitting within its own garden space, the gallery occupies an imposing conservatory comprising six major rooms all connected by glass spaces and built around two ornate fish ponds. Five of the main rooms and the linking glass-enclosed walks present art, with the foremost room forming the Gallery’s foyer.

The gallery’s programme is a mix of collections by the artists in residence, together with themed exhibitions and and art-related challenges. A schedule on the latter two can be obtained from the desk to the left side of the foyer when entering, along with a Group joiner for those wishing to be kept appraised of future events, challenges and activities. To the right of the foyer is an second desk promoting the artists in residence, all of whom have their collections displayed through most of the rest of the conservatory.

Notable Art Gallery, July 2026

To the rear of the gallery is a lawned garden with some seating space, together with a wall area to one side of the main building which I assume is for outdoor displays – perhaps seeing use during the themed exhibitions and art challenges. I also gather there will be a further exhibition space for child avatars as well.

Beyond the gallery, the region offers several more areas which might be explored, including a town-like commercial distract and the spa mentioned above, the building of both the spa and the town having a Tudor look to them. The spa has a mix of table-top and playable games within it, but being honest, I didn’t really spend too much time at the spa (or the town) – other than to make may way down from the spa to the beach tucked away below it and to spot the 7 Seas Fishing tucked away below the commercial area.

Notable Art Gallery, July 2026

This is because I was somewhat more attracted by the land separating the gallery from the town and spa, together with the ruins to the north-west of the region.

The former comprises both open grazing and a fenced paddock, the open area given over to horses some cattle and a wandering stag saddled for riding, while the fenced paddock is home to more cattle and quietly grazing sheep. Although the saddled stag cannot be ridden, the small stable to one side of the field does offer a horse rezzer for those who would like to take a ride, and there is a bubble rezzer sitting alongside the stable if those wishing to float around the region.

Perspective Doodles: paddock, July 2026

However, the most interesting feature of the open field is the gathering of four glowing portals around a central raised plinth with a spiralling blue light. While the portals may not be actual teleports, they add a sense of mystical intrigue to the setting; why are they here? who might have placed them so, and for what reason?

Meanwhile, the ruins – which can be reached directly from the Gallery’s garden via an archway on their west side – have their own mystery. They are called the Ruins of Eiralith, although I have no idea if this is an intentional reference to The Beginning after the End or not.

Ruins of Eiralith, July 2026

Aged, some with their facing weathered away, guarded by dry stone walls and standing in their own grounds, the ruins have been repurposed into an open-air cathedral for hosting weddings. Wisteria is draped over walls and beams giving the ruins a romantic feel, and I particularly liked the lone arch sitting at the head of steps leading up from the main ruins, standing as if it is the last remnant of a great bell tower.

The mystery of the ruins comes in the form of strange, luminous fungi growing in corners. The growths cast a soft, otherworldly light over their immediate surroundings and their presence adds an otherworldliness to the ruins. Close by, a group of standing stones gives a further sense of antiquity to this part of the region.

Ruins of Eiralith, July 2026

If I’m totally honest, I couldn’t help be feel that the commercial area was perhaps a little at odds with the rest of the region, largely because of the great expanse of the cobbled base on which it stands.

To be fair, I’ve no idea if it is still a work-in-progress, but my impression was that it could do with more to break-up the expanse of cobbles: maybe planters and young trees growing within tree grates and some seating. But that is a personal view; the position of the commercial area is such that it doesn’t overpower the rest of the setting to the point of distraction.

Notable Art Gallery, July 2026

Overall, and as noted above, the gallery is excellently presented with the art rich and varied. The care put into the schedule of exhibitions and events should hopefully encourage repeat visits, and I hope such activities will also be advertised through the likes of the .:SLArt:. Group – something I would most certainly recommend if this is not already the case.

Similarly, the Ruins of Eiralith offer a focal point for photography and quiet, gentle exploration, with a particularly charming place to sit on the very edge of the northern cliffs and offering a view down to the remote beach below. Both the gallery and the ruins make for an engaging visit to Perspective Doodles, with the pastoral feel of the fields and livestock add their own touch to the region.

Notable Art Gallery, July 2026

Slurl Details

Bamboo’s The Core – Murky Sphere in Second Life

Posted on by Inara Pey
SLEA1 July 2026: Bamboo Barnes – The Coire – Murky Sphere

I received an invitation from Bamboo Barnes to visit her SLEA installation The Core – Murky Sphere. Bamboo is, as I’ve frequently noted in these pages one of the most vibrant, evocative, provocative, and emotive artists displaying her work in Second Life; I’ve never failed to be intrigued and fascinated by her exhibitions for multiple reasons.

With The Core – Murky Sphere, Bamboo offers something of an enigmatic installation; there are no notes from the artist supplied to offer thoughts or ideas, just a single poem and a hint of a theme in the accompanying biographical notes. And this is good, as it leaves the mind uncluttered when entering, free to consider the art and the words of the poem and those Bamboo offers following it.

SLEA1 July 2026: Bamboo Barnes – The Coire – Murky Sphere

However, before getting into things, do note that this is an installation best viewed under the Shared Environment and on a PBR enabled viewer. Draw Distance does not have to be high (around 64 metres will suffice), and if graphics quality can be pushed up to around High, so much the better.

The arrival point sits with a tunnel, the way ahead marked by a series of avatar studies by Bamboo. Two red spheres sit alongside the arrival point and, when touched, will supply a copy of the poem and Bamboo’s biography. Both should be taken and read. Beyond the tunnel, the installation opens out into the interior of a large cube.

SLEA1 July 2026: Bamboo Barnes – The Coire – Murky Sphere

On first viewing, this appears to be chaotic; 2D art and shapes mixing with 3D geometric forms including a cube-within-a-cube (with more elements within) and what  what might be a square stage, and seemingly random appearances of the poem. However, this is entirely in keeping with the thread of theme Bamboo offers for the installation in her biographical notes: a visualisation of emotions. Because is not a tumult of emotions we can so often feel – particularly in response to something – the most chaotic of experiences?

This is reason enough to consider the installation: a personal exploration through art of often tumbled nature of our own emotions. But there are perhaps other interpretations lying within it and revealed according to our own outlook on life. For example, one that occurred to me is that the installation seems to also speak to matters identity and alienation, of hatred / anger expressed by some for the somehow-threatening differences they see in others, differences expressed within the installation by the repeated use of images and forms.

SLEA1 July 2026: Bamboo Barnes – The Coire – Murky Sphere

This is because the majority of the poem seems to speak of separation, of alienation and isolation, be it by choice or by being a member of a clique in which it is easy to subsume personal doubts and fears by giving vent to anger and the dismissal of others on the basis of their differences, their beliefs or outlook or thoughts. In doing so, it is possible to feel safe, strong – and even “cool” when among those sharing such views. For those encountering these attitudes it can be disturbing, thoughts and emotions on the encounter rising unbidden long after occurred, just as the poem itself appears several times amidst the art of the installation.

The words accompanying the poem, meanwhile, serve as a reminder that the differences we see in others are not failures or weakness or something to be scorned / feared;  they are the very things that make all of us unique – and perhaps better and stronger as a whole. Through acceptance of such differences come opportunities to learn, to grow, to find common ground and end the negative separation created by anger, fear and hatred and find more in the way of harmony together. As the final line of the poem itself notes: separation, anger, fear lead a person nowhere – but that doesn’t stop those whom they would shun and reject from caring about them.

SLEA1 July 2026: Bamboo Barnes – The Coire – Murky Sphere

But again, that a personal reaction to The Core – Murky Sphere; there are obviously others (another that came to my mind was more in line with the idea of self-reflection, but I’ll say no more on that here). So this being the case, you should take those two paragraphs above with a degree of scepticism and put them aside when visiting The Core – Murky Sphere, and allow it to speak directly to you unencumbered by any preconceptions.

Slurl Details

Cica Ghost’s Visiting a Friend in Second Life

Posted on by Inara Pey
Cica Ghost, July 2026: Visiting a Friend

July 19th, saw the opening of Cica Ghost’s latest installation in Second Life, to which she kindly sent me an invitation to pop in and see. Entitled Visiting a Friend, it presents a bright colourful setting in keeping with the summer time, one mindful of a coastal region and memories of visiting the beach (or sea-side, if your prefer).

This is a place of grass and sand, where rowing and fishing boats bob on the waves and storks wade the shallows. Sand dunes rise from the grass, some of them topped by sand castles, and one by a row of brightly-painted sea-side houses reached by a ladder and home to some of Cica’s art, whilst overhead giant balloons (on which you can sit) float.

Cica Ghost, July 2026: Visiting a Friend

Watching over all of this is a – literal – blue whale complete with a little house on its head. The latter is a cosy little place with a comfortable bed and happy flower in a pot and a slightly curious cat-like pet. It appears to be the home of a little duck going by the picture on the wall and the little chap outside.

Also watching over the setting is a sand-built lighthouse atop another sand dune complete with the keeper’s cottage on the neighbouring dune, reach via a bridge. However, it is at the top of the lighthouse that accommodation might be found – albeit watched over by a toothy spider.

Cica Ghost, July 2026: Visiting a Friend

It’s all a happy scene, one not even spoiled by the presence of an erupting volcano given it seems more intent on throwing firework-like trails up into the air rather than bringing forth lava. All of it sits under a starry sky in keeping with the quote Cica has chosen for the installation:

Good friends are like stars. You don’t always see them, but you know they are there.

And who – or what – is the (good) friend(s) in question? Well, anyone who went to the beach during childhood likely has happy memories of those occasions; memories which are as much comforting friends as they are recollections. And like the stars in the sky, while we might not always think of them, they are always there, just waiting for us to remember.

Cica Ghost, July 2026: Visiting a Friend

Slurl Details