Tag: Raven Arcana

Second Life photographer-artist Raven Arcana is, in my opinion, one of the most expressive artists exhibiting her work within the platform. I’ve covered her work – both individual exhibitions and as part of ensemble exhibitions – in these pages, and always appreciate the opportunity to see her work. This being the case, it was off to Atelier des Images – Gallery Gadot, operated and curated by Aurelie Gadot Costanza, to witness Raven’s latest work.

Ends and New Beginnings is a visual essay, richly expressive and poignant in the way the individual images can trigger responses and / or suggest a story in its own right whilst remaining part of the broader narrative Raven paints.

These poetic monochromatic Landscapes take you on a Journey, from the Ending to a new Beginning. Discover Landscapes that express Loss, Solitude or even Hope. You might find your own Story within them.

– Raven Arcana, Ends and New Beginnings

As Raven notes, these are images intended to express emotions and feelings, something reflected in their evocative names as well as their depictions – Broken; Empty Places, Growth. Each has a single focus within the scene it presents, such as a fallen lighthouse or a tree, whilst bent, standing firm against the passage of time and wind as it edges towards maturity.

Combined with their monochromic nature, the titles of these pieces cause them to resonate with the observer and draw one in, encouraging both our emotions and our imaginations. Each has its own unique voice such that I’m not going to offer interpretations here; what they have to say even much depends on how we approach them: what we’re feeling; how life is affecting us at the point in time we visit; perhaps even encouraging a contemplation of things we would rather keep hidden, and in doing so offer catharsis.

Catharsis might be a term applied to the broader story offered through the entire collection. In this, I would suggest following the exhibition from the right-side entrance as you face it. Bordered to the left by a quote on endings and beginnings by English poet Jennifer Birchall and At the End – a piece by Raven which, among a collection of expressive pieces, I found to be particularly powerful in its imagery.

From this entrance, one can progress around the exhibition from right through centre and then left, and in doing so, allow the individual  voices present in the pieces work to become a choir, their voices reaching a crescendo as one arrives at Raven’s images New Beginnings and Tranquillity, together with New Beginning, a poem by American poet Colleen Courtney. This form a final verse – or chapter – of the story; one filled with the promise that, for all of us, there is the promise held within the opening quote from Birchall.

In all, Ends and New Beginnings is a beautiful collection of work, its expressive depth certain to touch all who visit. And, should you wish to keep alive the memory of the entire exhibition, the entire collection has been put together in in-world book form by Raven, offered for sale alongside the individual prints.

SLurl Details

• Atelier des Images – Gallery Gadot (Bjorn, rated Moderate)

Raven Arcana is a gifted Second Life photographer-artist who is – rightly – highly regarded for her work. She frequently exhibitions in-world, often within ensemble exhibitions, as well a at her own gallery, Raven’s Eye Galley, which I had the distinct pleasure to write about in 2023. Such is the quality and depth of her work that it is always a pleasure to witness it, either as part of a broader exhibition of SL or as the focus of a solo exhibition.

The latter is very much the case with Melancholia, an exhibition of Raven’s work, hosted over the 2024/25 winter holiday season at the ground level gallery space at NovaOwl.

Melancholia (or melancholy if you prefer), is a terms with a long an complicated medical history, its definition and understanding changing, at times being seen as a physical illness due to an excess of “black bile” (melaina chole) through various forms of mental disorder, often subjective in nature and description; within the last 20-ish years it has been described as a systemic disorder. All of which tend to leave us with a bleak perception of the word, generally relating it to depression.

Within cultural and literary circles, particularly from the latter half of the 16th century onwards, melancholy came to have an altogether different connotation, initially as a mark of genius – or, as English art historian Roy Strong came to perhaps unfairly calls it, “an indispensable adjunct to all those with artistic or intellectual pretentions”, before morphing again to hover between the darker, more depressive medical use of the term and one by which mood and feelings might be expressed or contained, notably those such as alone-ness, solitude, introspection, sadness, loneliness, and similar.

It is very much with this latter aspect of melancholy  in which Raven presents the pieces in this exhibition. Beautifully presented in monochromatic and sepia tones and taken from locations around Second Life, these are images which wrap into themselves in the most beautiful expressions of minimalism, the more poetic reflections of melancholy noted above: of being alone, of being caught in reflection or introspection; of looking upon a scene wherein memory is triggered – perhaps that of sadness or maybe of a regret warmed by the memory of what came before the actual cause of the regret. Echoes of life, love, the passage of time, the echo of passing seasons, the journey through life; the loss of contact with those who may once have been a part of our passing days; all of this and so much more is similarly bound within these images.

Framed by comments from poets, writers and artists on the natural of melancholy in both its artistic and physical interpretations, each piece in this collection carries within it a depth far greater than both its minimalist presentation or which might be suggested purely by its use of perspective. Thus each carries with it a narrative of its own whilst also forming part of the overall opus of expression to be found throughout the entire series.

A truly exceptional collection; one which, if not already witnessed, should not be missed.

SLurl Details

• NovaOwl Social Corner and Gallery (Novatron, rated General)

Today I’m shining a spotlight on the art of Raven Arcana, a Second life photographer-artist whose work I’ve seen featured a some ensemble exhibitions, but until June 2023, hadn’t really had the opportunity to focus on her work  in these pages. That was when her themed exhibition Destination Unknown opened at Artsville Galleries – although again, time being what it is, I also didn’t actually get the opportunity to write-up that exhibit at the time of its opening. However, at the time of writing this piece it remains available to visitors for a while longer, and so is touched upon here as well.

Raven’s primary gallery space is located with her own region of Clandestine, which is also dedicated to the Digital Arts Gallery, a collective of SL artists and bloggers. Thus, Raven’s gallery can either be reached directly or via the teleport area available at the DAG event space, which also provides access to other galleries and locations within the region (which are outside the scope of this article). For ease of reference, all SLurls to places specifically mentioned here can be found at the end of this article, rather than also being embedded in the text, per my usual approach.

Occupying a 2-storey space set within its own skybox, Raven’s Eye Gallery offers a rich introduction to Raven’s photography for those who might not be familiar with it. At the time of my visit, the lower floor presented a diverse selection of Raven’s landscape work, with all of the images beautifully evocative whilst demonstrating an eye for framing that within some rightly eschews so-called “golden rules” of composition in favour of a broader and more fitting artistic balance.

These are images which also demonstrate Raven’s talent for post-processing and effect, with some finished with photograph-like clarity and others treated to resemble watercolours or oils. A particular attractiveness in some of the latter lay in the way Raven has captured the spirit of the Impressionist and Romance landscape painters, the style and finish selected by Raven for each piece is perfectly matched to its focus and subject.

The landscapes continue on the upper floor – which at the time of my visit was only partially laid out – but are mixed with pieces that are more thematically inclined. Future Sunset, for example, would appear to offer a direct link to Destination Unknown, itself a powerful selection of pieces focused on climate change / global warming and the inherent threat they contain to life and civilisation. Meanwhile, When Fiction Becomes Reality presents a powerful commentary on the (predominantly patriarchal) suppression of women’s rights, whilst Biker’s Paradise offers an unapologetic celebration of the freedom and joy to be found travelling the open road.

I’m not sure how much longer Destination Unknown will remain open to the public – my apologies to Raven for not previously covering it in these pages; as such I’d recommend a visit alongside a trip to Raven’s Eye Gallery during August 2023, in the hope you get to see it before the next exhibition replaces it at Artsville. That said, make no mistake, a visit to Raven’s Eye is well worth the time for anyone with an appreciation for art.

SLurl Details

Note that Clandestine is rated Adult.

• Raven’s Eye Gallery (Clandestine)
• Digital Arts Gallery (Clandestine)
• Artsville Galleries and Community (Caribbean Ocean, rated Moderate) – see Gallery 3.