Tag: Diotima Art Gallery

Recently opened (October 3rd, 2019), at Diotima Art Gallery curated by Red Bikcin is Wandering Spirits, an immersive exhibition of 2D art with 3D elements by TerraMerhyem. It offers a fascinating trip into the artist’s imagination.

I started reading science fiction, fantasy and heroic fantasy at the age of ten and since then I have continued; this literature is one of the elements that has shaped me. It has taken me to live other lives, it has trained me to live in other worlds and I have always had a tendency to escape from what is called the “real world” – through writings and poetry, dreams, art, music, images and imaginations, trance…

– TerraMerhyem describing the inspiration for Wandering Spirits

Set behind an animated piece and against an ebony backdrop, Wandering Spirits presents visitors with glimpses into the worlds of fantasy to which TerraMerhyem’s imagination has carried her – most with her character prominent within them, a Barbarella-like figure rendered within intricate, fractal-like creations and hanging against backdrops of aliens skies and liquid forms.

I have spent a lot of time imagining – and I have the ability to feel, sometimes deeply, what I imagine … It has happened to me to be a wandering spirit: I have sailed in unfathomable places; I have brushed against the suns floating in icy spaces; I have met other spirits and entities, also wandering – always beautiful … I have screamed in the dark (but I think the universe has been deaf to my cries).

– TerraMerhyem describing the inspiration for Wandering Spirits

Along with these 2D elements are 3D pieces: the models use to give form to the spirits within each picture perhaps; but I confess it is the 2D pieces that most fascinated me in their composite execution. Two of the fractal-like forms that feature in them also appear alone in a pair of pieces towards the front of the exhibition, where they are set against backdrops of what might be the surface of Titan when cleared of its dense atmosphere. These serve to give the fractal forms a sense of life such that they might be considered alien organics, floating over their mother world(s), alive – and perhaps even aware.

By presenting these strange forms, with their reflective coatings an appearance of life, these two initial pieces convey the impression that the creations, other with the others like them that appear in the images with the human “spirits” are also living, and perhaps conscious. Thus, rather than simply being a “prop” or element around the figure sharing an image with them, they become a living part of it; a companion, if you will – perhaps, even the other spirits TerraMerhyem imagines in her thoughts and dreams.

Nuanced and layered, Wandering Spirits is engaging and – as noted – fascinating to witness, both for its art and narrative, and for its presentation.

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• Diotima Art Gallery (Gigli Waves, rated: Moderate)

Currently on display at Diotima Art Gallery curated by Redi (Red Bikcin), is Hot Summer, an exhibition of art by Kimeu Korg. As the title suggests, it features images – fifteen in total – depicting summertime scenes; or which are for the most part summertime scenes!

I admit to being something of a fan of Kimeu’s art, as he has a wonderful sense of whimsy and also an eye for creating thought-provoking images that can draw upon the abstract and / or the absurd or comical to pull the observer into them. Some of this talent is on display within the pieces presented here, although most are perhaps more “traditional” in nature – albeit with various motifs that also make Kimeu’s work so attractive.

The more comical can be seen in the likes of (13), located on the the right of the entry hall of the gallery. It features Kimeu standing on a beach in white, singing lustfully, a microphone in one hand and a rubber chicken held outstretched in the other, it’s beak agape as if singing in accompaniment.  Set against a calm sea and sandy foreground – two of the aforementioned motifs that can be found as a theme to many of the pieces here – it cannot fail to raise a smile.

Whimsy is evident front-and centre in some of these pieces – notably in the likes of (8), found in the far corner (relative to the entrance) of the L-shaped gallery, but also far more gently, such as with (4), which at a first casual glance might appear to be an ordinary image of a man standing on that sandy shoreline and looking out over sunny waters to where Orca-like fins rise above the waves, a dog and puppy – until you take a second look, and realise the “dog” and “puppy” are in fact a seal and her pup.

Finished as paintings – both oil and watercolour in looks – and also as coloured drawings, Kimeu’s pictures always have a life of their own that is unique within Second Life, something that also increases the appeal of seeing them exhibited, and this collection is no exception. It will remain open through to the end of Thursday, September 5th, and a visit is strongly recommended.

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• Diotima Art Gallery (Gigli Waves, rated: Moderate)

Xia’s Diary, currently open (for a little while longer, at least!) at Diotima Art Gallery curated by Red Bikcin, is an exhibition in images and words that offers reflections on life – both real and virtual – by Xia Chieng.

This is a thought-provoking installation in which Xia offers something of in introspection on her own life – how it has played out in Second Life, and how matters from her physical world life have informed her time in in the virtual and how the latter has caused her to more generally reflect on life as a whole.

My life has been intense, but I’ve never known where to fit. Opportunist and ambitious, my life has taken me to many places and to experience all kinds of situations, some good and some bad. Blinded by moving forward, never look around me or those left behind … When I looked at life through the camera, I felt that I could finally see it. Then he started a new path.

– Xia Chieng, defining Xia’s Diary

Twenty-one images – all of them avatar studies (although one has an aspect to it suggesting it might have originated in the physical world) – are presented in the exhibition. Most sit as individual pieces, although there are three that clearly form a single group, and three more are presented in such a way as to suggest they could form a set.

All are accompanied by Xia’s thoughts, the words provided with evocative titles such as Lost Hope, Ode to Emily, Broken Doll, and so on. They offer frames to the images over which they sit – and a windows into Xia’s thoughts and feelings.

These images are a document of my journey through life, RL and SL, I make no difference. Everything I do is part of my life. Many things are recreated in our mind with our imagination. Maybe it is a way of looking for a meaning and transcending many problems that torment us. A second life can be a second chance. 

– Xia Chieng, defining Xia’s Diary

The words, offered white-on-black are as clear-cut and unequivocal as their presentation. Evocative, provocative (as are some of the images), brutally honest, they offer the kind of introspection most of us probably prefer to carry out within our own heads (and most likely in a darkened room) well away from public display.

Thus, Xia’s Diary becomes something of a tour de force of feelings and responses in which we are cast into multiple roles. We are the voyeur and the emotional vampire, illicitly peeping in on the sometimes salacious, often poignantly deep, confessions from the heart and drawing from them. And given these are confessions – honest, down-to-Earth examinations of self, of hopes, of fears, of confusion of need – so too are we cast as the confessional-made-flesh, bearing witness to the opening of a soul. And because these are deeply personal reflections, so too are we given pause to hold up a mirror to ourselves and review who and what we are in life, both physical and virtual.

Intense, sometimes dark, expressive, and captivating, one of the more richly narrative and personal exhibitions I’ve recently seen.

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• Diotima Art Gallery (Gigli Waves, rated: Moderate)

This review might be coming a little late in the day – so my apologies to all, especially the artist. However, May 20th saw the opening of an exhibition at Diotima Art Gallery curated by Redi (Red Bikcin) featuring the remarkable work of artist ViktorSavior.

Viktor is a mixed-media artist whose work spans both the physical world and Second Life. I first encountered it at the start of the year (see here for more), witnessing his paintings and – particularly – his drawings, which immediately captivated me. Since then I’ve been to several exhibitions featuring his work, and have continued to admire it.

With Dancing Beauties, the title of his display at Diotima Gallery, Viktor once again presents a selection of his  monochrome  drawings in an exhibition that can be broadly split into two parts. In the front part of the gallery, and mounted on the walls, are fifteen studies of avatar couples enjoying moments of intimacy – which do involve female nudity, and thus might be considered NSFW.

In the rear hall of the gallery, these gently give way to 11 studies of individual avatars in motion.

What makes Viktor’s art so attractive is the fact that his drawings are not merely snapshots that have been captured in the viewer and then post-processed to resemble line drawings – they are all executed by hand, and quite wonderfully so.This gives them a depth of life far greater than would otherwise be the case, a fact amply demonstrated in the selection of images here.

Those to the front of the gallery that feature couples – with no small degree of nudity that might make them NSFW – are wonderfully drawn. In them we see genuinely intimate moments that are in no way voyeuristic; rather, they are moving in the way they visualise the tender dance of love and devotion between two people.

Similarly, the 11 images on individual avatars are extraordinary in the manner in which they capture the life within their avatar subjects, containing as they do a what can be the subconscious dance on life. Rich in motion and energy, these are also captivating in their richness and strength, their monochrome form bringing this to the fore perhaps far more than had they been rendered in colour.

This is a genuinely engaging exhibition which might not have too much longer to run, so I do recommend hopping over to Diotima Gallery sooner rather than later in order to catch it.

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• Diotima Art Gallery (Gigli Waves, rated: Moderate)

Opened on April 7th, 2019 at the Diotima Leisure and Culture Gallery, is a new installation by Spanish artist Ana Oceanida, featuring 2D images presented in a 3D space that forms a part of the overall statement for the installation, which has the simple title of Theatre.

I often discuss the idea of narrative within these reviews, the stories that so often exist with in the images presented by photographers and artists. With Theatre, the story very much is the installation, told through the images displayed, and via the broader setting itself. It is the story of the life – and ending? – of traditional theatre as a medium for teaching and telling stories; and it is a story told through the camera lens of a photographer – the images themselves taken at locations around Second Life.

Best enjoyed with local time set to midnight and with the viewer’s Advanced Lighting Model option enabled (Preferences > Graphics), Theatre can be very loosely split into two intertwined elements. The first is the setting itself, that of the photographer’s developing studio. It contains the paraphernalia of the photographer’s art: the chemical developers, the trays in which photographs seem to miraculously appear in their baths of chemicals, a cropping board, packs of developer’s paper, rolls of film awaiting use, scattered plastic containers of used film, and more, all bathed in the red glow of the developer’s bulb and the photographer stands before a bench carrying out her artistry.

On the walls and floor of this setting are the results of this work: a series of images that might be regarded as unframed slides, more than 40 of them, some in colour, some in black-and white. Offered sequentially, starting with 1-1A in the corner of the room above the photographer’s right shoulder and proceeding to the right, these offer an unfolding story about the theatre that winds back and forth across two walls of the studio, before dropping to the floor to finish their tale there.

The story perhaps isn’t easy to grasp. However, there are grab bags within the installation which contain, among other items, note cards outlining the tale.

I remember that moment, that time when, in the heat of fire started to tell stories , Stories of gods, Stories of monsters, stories of heroes, was such a fascination that I woke up among people that the cold nights became warm to the stories. Little by little you gave me a body, my first body was cold, hard, wide spaces and open-air stands but with your stories became laughed, suffering… and people. My childhood was happy.

In this, the story of the rise and fall and rise (or rebirth) of theatre down through the ages, I was reminded of Jaques‘ soliloquy and lament from As You Like It, “All the world’s a stage, And all the men and women merely players;…” in that we are both observers of this installation and the actors within it; we play our role here in witnessing the story, and thus give theatre another breath of life.

And like Jacques’ view of the seven ages of man, so to is this story ultimately a lament: the passage of time has meant theatre has grown and changed over time, only to perhaps now in the digital age to face its final passing, the permanence of physical structure through bricks and mortar, of floorboards and seats, now giving way to the ephemeral flow of bits and bytes that give rise to impermanence and passing. Hence, perhaps the tear-like rain in the installation.

I’m not sure I agree with the conclusion of the piece – digital environment could be a boon to theatre – but, this is a story after wall, and the tale has its own telling and conclusion. As to the images offered, I can only say that they are fascinating studies, each one of which stands on its own, whether or not one follows the broader story, offering a unique perspective on the places Ana visited in preparing this installation.

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• Diotima Leisure and Culture Gallery (Gigli Waves, rated: Moderate)

Currently on display at Diotima Art Gallery curated by Redi (Red Bikcin), is a shared exhibition of art by Isadora Alaya (Otcoc) and Morlita Quan. While very different in form, the two exhibitions are perhaps drawn together through something of an abstract edge to each of them.

Located in the front part of the gallery space, Isadora present 14 images under the title Light in the Labyrinth. These offer a mix of themes – landscapes, images of art in SL, avatar studies – all of which are joined by a use of colour that tend to set them apart from the more “usual” style of landscape or avatar study we’re all perhaps familiar with. This gives some of them the “abstract” edge to which I refer.

It really is this use of colour that makes these pieces striking. I particularly found myself drawn to Savannah Flow and Tell You What’s Lost. The former is a glorious piece in tone, lighting and depth that brings the elephant to life in a most fascinating way. The latter, meanwhile, presents in both image and title a perfect reflection of one of SL’s most original regions,  Whats Lost Spirits (about which you can read more here).

With pieces like these and the stunning monochrome Powder Drift (Night Before Zazenkai), Isadora’s Light in the Labyrinth is an absorbing display of art.

For Dissonances, Morlita Quan contrasts her images to those of Isadora by presenting them within a white space that sits opposite of the dark setting for Light in the Labyrinth. In doing so, she draws a subtle link of connection between the  two exhibits.

I’ve long been an admirer of Mori’s beautifully fluid and organic abstracts, and the twelve pieces offered here fully demonstrate both the organic and abstract look and texture to her work. Abstract the images may be, but the influence and inspiration of nature is evident within each piece presented here, the majority of which lean towards monochrome, while those incorporating colour do so in a soft, subtle and – dare I repeat it again – organic manner. The fluidity of the pieces is largely self-evident; several of the pieces are liquid in their form, and this is further added to by the wave-like animation evident in the floor.

The choice of title for this exhibit is interesting. Dissonance means a discordant combination of sounds or a lack of agreement. Yet within these pieces there is a harmony waiting to be found. Yes, on first look, the pieces – particularly the two laying on the end wall of the hall – may seem jarring; however, the very nature of these pieces, the intricate curves and patterns of circles tends to wash any sense of discord to one side.

Together, Light in the Labyrinth and Dissonances made for a worthwhile shared exhibition and visit.

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• Diotima Art Gallery (Gigli Waves, rated: Moderate)