Tag: Art 2026

Having opened on July 15th, 2026 at Souland Gallery curated by Julana Allen (Julana Teichmann), Collection is a gathering of work by Pagan Lane, bringing his art from the physical world into Second Life.

A multimedia artist, Pagan uses a mix of digital manipulation, photo embellishment and traditional painting in oil and acrylics to create images that are both uniquely expressive and which cover multiple genres from portraiture through abstract and expressionism to the surreal. His work can bring together themes of the mystical and ethereal to the real and the emotive, and can serve to underscore his interests in psychology, the human condition and mythology.

At first appearing to be a randomly eclectic selection of pieces, Collection serves to illustrate all of the above, although there is a lean towards mythological subjects which I found to be richly engaging in their presentations and interpretations of their subjects.

Take the portrait of Pele, the Hawaiian creator-goddess; her association with fire and volcanism is brought forth in the use of red and black in the background, suggestive of lava flowing and cooling whilst bright splashes of red to the foreground represent fire. Meanwhile, her connection to Hawaii is gently communicated through the fiery red haku le around her head.

Similarly, one of the two studies of Persephone marvellously captures a key element of her story following her kidnapping and unwilling sojourn within the Underworld. Presenting her within what could be taken as a range of mountains, the image is a strikingly powerful personification of her return to the surface of the world.

Within Nyx and Hemera, meanwhile, the contrast between mother (Nyx, goddess of the night) and daughter (Hermera, goddess of the daytime) and their attributes is beautifully offered in a modern abstracted style where colour and the appearance of the Sun and Moon conveys so much. Alongside of this, Erebus and Aither (husbands to Nyx and Hemera) perfectly encapsulates their opposing forces (darkness and light) in a monochrome piece. These are works which sand both individually and as a pair untied in the stories they convey.

With Hephaestus and Triton, Pagan offers unique embodiments of the deities they represent, casting them in a whole new light. Triton, for example, foregoes the traditional middle-aged-man-with-beard portrayal and instead presents figure who is younger and vital and alive – as one might expect from a god of the sea. Within Hephaestus we similarly see not a maker of weapons for the other Olympians or a son shunned by his mother and seeking revenge (as in one branch of his mythology); instead we see the face of a young man whose eyes are very much the mirrors of his soul.

I could ramble on; but this is an exhibition to be witnessed first hand – and if you are unfamiliar the the many branches that are the tree of (particularly) Greek mythology, then Collection presents the ancient gods and their attributes in a manner which encourages further exploration of the subject.  And even without such spurring, Collection presents a visual feast of art, each item within it can be appreciated in its own right and for the talents of the artist.

A genuinely rich and layered exhibition, Collection is not one to be missed.

SLurl Details

• Souland Gallery (Moordon, rated Moderate)

I’ve long admired the artistic collaboration between Lalie Sorbet and Chrix (chrixbed) for the immersive installations they have produced, such as Bloom: Flowers of Evil from 2024, and Murmuration – A Never-Ending Show from 2025. So when Lalie invited me to see their latest – and quite possibly most immersive thus far – installation, I knew I’d have to hop along as time permitted to immerse myself within it.

Entitled Mosaic it is, and without any hyperbole, mesmerising. However, before visiting, make sure you have local sounds enabled and your viewer is set to Use Shared Experience via World → Environment.

The installation has been inspired by the works of French artist Jean Giraud (1938-2012), better known the world over as Mœbius. While his work folded into itself multiple genres such as the American West and Belgian-style comic books, it is as a co-founder of Métal Hurlant, one of the most influential science fiction publications of the latter part of the 20th century, and his work as a science fiction and fantasy artist and illustrator which earned him international recognition.

Mœbius created everything from characters to fantastical creatures and worlds through a style that became a genre of its own, being widely adopted by comic book illustrators, storyboard artists and others. He very much focused on allowing his drawings to drive a story rather than simply illustrating a written narrative. In fact, his first publication under the Métal Hurlant banner, the 4-part comic book series Arzach, comprised entirely wordless stories.

All of this can be seen as influences within Mosaic.

Sitting within a desert-like landscape is a ring of monolithic structures, most carved or built from rock formations (one stands outs as being clearly of artificial construct), intermixed with exotic plants, this brings forth a world straight from Mœbius’ pens. The air is heavy with a thudding, mixed beat through which chanting can be heard together with the metronomic clicking of machinery. Every so often comes a deeper, reverberating boom accompanied by flashes of light, like forked lightning.

Within this ring is a world of motion. Marvellous creatures circle the sky or wander the shallow waters whilst eight giant Guardians stand form a circle facing the centre of the water, the flora at their feet swaying in time to the drum-like beats, phantasmal trails curling and sweeping through the air. Each Guardian is of a different appearance, suggesting they all might be of different worlds. Some may have fireballs floating before them; some remain still; others at times raise one or both arms. All are clearly taking part in a ritual as, periodically and in time with the deeper booms, the lightning-like trails arc from them to the centre of the circle, bright bursts of an ethereal something.

As they do so, large mosaic-like tiles bearing familiar Earthly images  float through the installation in a cyclical process and apparently at the will of the Guardians. During the cycle, the tiles will form path-like circles together with bridges which extend away from each Guardian to reach the centre of the waters. Then the paths an bridges will slowly dismantle, the tiles rising to form structures and shapes in the air over the centre of the circle. What these structures might be varies with each round of the cycle, but once done, and on an unspoken command, the structures slowly break down and the cycle repeats.

Exactly what this all might mean is up to your own eyes and imagination to determine; this is a place where stories await their time to unfold in the minds of others; a place of richness of detail and motion adrift from time where mysticism and mystery rub shoulders with technology and alien nature. Perhaps the Guardians are technomages; maybe they are gods engaged in creation. The stories are yours to weave.

Forming a part of the outer ring of structures is a hemisphere enclosing an event space, the floor of which is also formed by these tiles – at least until they rise to join with those called to the centre of the installation. Step on any of the mosaic titles anywhere within the installation and it will respond with motion, the illustration on it will illuminating briefly while a tone or sound might be heard.

Meanwhile, the artificial tower – which serves as a Landing Point – includes a number of vehicles visitors can sit on or within and which will then take flight around the installation and becoming a part of it. The tower also offers the opportunity to teleport and discover how Mosaic came to be, complete with uploads of art by Mœbius. For those wishing to spend time observing the Guardians and pondering their ritual, places to sit are to be found on some of the exotic trees dotted around close to the installation’s perimeter.

For those who want to exercise their brains slightly differently, there is a memory game for up to four players sitting diagonally opposite the events space. Look for the square of grey “owl” tiles and sit on one of the mushrooms to one side of it. The game is played by trying to find pairs of tiles by selecting one of the owls to turn over, and then another. Correct selections gain the pair of tiles (removing them from the game); incorrect answers flip the tiles back, so you need to recall their positions if on a later go, you come upon the other half of a pair.

 

Immersive, excellently conceived and executed (the timing of the drumming booms and the lightning is exquisite), populated by beings and creatures which Mœbius – if he were able to see them – would have doubtless approved and lauded, Mosaic is genuinely captivating. As already noted, make sure you have local sounds enabled when visiting and do use the Shared Environment; once you have visited, don’t forget the opportunity to hop up and learn how the installation was developed and perhaps catch the official video.

Congrats to Lalie and Chrix for again demonstrating the power of Second Life to artistically delight and enthral.

Slurl Details

• Mosaic (SLEA6, rated Moderate)

Concrete Shadows is an exploration of urban life captured through the interplay of light and shadow in contemporary artwork. This city life exhibition illustrates how the silhouettes of people merge with their surroundings, creating a dialogue between the individual and the urban landscape. 

– Miles Cantelou

Thus reads the artist’s introduction of a series of acrylic canvases adapted for upload to Second Life for the exhibition Concrete Shadows, which opened in mid-June at ArtCare Gallery, curated by Carelyna.

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. Utilising genres from abstract through surrealism to abstracted expressionism, his art is a constant study of light and light forms often with a strong lean into using light and light forms. Much of his work is colour-rich and boldly stated. Here, however, and as his introduction notes, he large eschews colour (although some is present in places to give an added subtle context to the urban environments featured) in favour of a more monochromatic look.

Comprising 20 individual pieces, Concrete Shadows could be a record captured from within a city anywhere in the world. But precisely where their inspiration comes from doesn’t actually matter;  what does is the manner in which they resonate with us as we view them and their the subtext of line, shape, shadow and block serve to suggest; so that in some it is possible to perceive the bustling and disorderly order of somewhere like Tokyo or Shanghai whilst others might suggest a kinship with London, Paris or New York – or wherever your imagination takes you.

All of them offer narratives of life, be this used as a collective nouns for the bustle of people passing along busy streets, cojoined by matters of business, tourism, need – whatever; or be it a reflection of the individual caught in a moment of introspection, transition or perhaps loneliness within the midst of that bustle. More broadly, they tell a story about the places we have created in which we go about our business and lives; the ebb and flow of the relationship between conurbation and self. Cities are places we have built out of our own necessity; yet at the same time we are mere elements of their necessity, serving their growth, their wealth, their power. They cannot exists without us and nor can we, as a society, function without them; the one gives purpose to the other.

Is there balance in this? Perhaps; perhaps not – but there is a blurring. Our relationships with the cities in which we live is one of adversarial symbiosis; it constantly shifts and changes as we move through the concrete and steel canyons or pause for breath in the small haven of green park spaces. We move as one, currents and eddies of humanity coursing through streets and avenues, flowing into and from buildings, an underscoring of our need for them – and their reliance upon us. At the same time we seek to remain individuals, operating within and yet apart from the rush of City Life and all it brings.

An intriguing and engaging exhibition.

SLurl Details

• ArtCare Gallery (Emotion, rated Moderate)

Two years ago, in July 2024, Dido Haas hosted the first public exhibition of Second Life photography by Miu (MiuMira) within The Annex of her Nitroglobus Roof Gallery. Called Connections, that exhibition garnered over 350 unique visits, people drawn to its wealth of expression and focus – and I was one of those 350 to be some engaged, as I noted in Miu’s Connections at Nitroglobus in Second Life.

It is therefore fitting that Mui is back at The Annex for the months of July and August 2026, in what might be considered an informal second anniversary celebration of her first ever public exhibition of art. Whether seen as such or not by those visiting it over the next several weeks, it is certainly an underscoring of her ability to produce imagines that are both personal and approachable, and which express so much whilst remaining so perfectly minimal.

Entitled Unspoken, this small but highly impactful collection of pieces is very much a continuation of Connections in terms of presentation, style and focus, whilst also taking us deeper into moments of intimacy and tenderness, and of shared experiences where words are, simply, superfluous, unwanted, unnecessary.

Unspoken explores the feelings that defy verbal translation—moments of profound vulnerability, quiet resilience, and complex inner truths. For many, silence is the safest space to exist, process, and protect one’s truest self. By stripping away the noise of explanation, Unspoken invites viewers to sit with these quiet moments. It challenges us to look beyond the surface, connect through shared human experience, and listen to the powerful stories told strictly through the eyes, gestures, and stillness of the human form.

– From the artist

Through these pieces we can witness a story that is never forced, never overtly stated, but which instead exists in the nuance of pose and focus. A story of quiet moments of intimacy and vulnerability, of love and being, which are expressed both through studies of the individual and those shared with another.

Within each piece is a flow of those moments existing in the brief, transient space this exists between longer, deeper moments of intimacy and expression, but are also within their brief flourish, rich in emotion and feeling, only needing a flash of recognition in order for them to indelibly imprint themselves on our consciousness.

We hear much about the power of non-verbal communication and the inability of our current digitally-driven realm to transmit these wordless aspects of communication. All that is said on the subject is true; there is so much about Second Life that does communicate – but there is so much of communication that is absent from it.

However, that absence is not absolute; through the pieces presented within Unspoken, Mui both offers us the connection to the unspoken wealth of mood, feelings and expressive which can be found through our avatars and which, if brought to the point of practical expressiveness could so readily transform our digital world into one of intense meaning and contented sharing.

SLurl Details

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

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)