Diomita Maurer’s Blog

I saw quite some installations of FionaFei this year: at her Shui Mo Gallery (read here), at La Maison d’Aneli just a few days ago (read here) and Impostor at Sim Quarterly (read here). Fiona brought my attention to Chuanghu (Windows), her exhibit at GBTH Project. I went there on Friday, April 10th.

GBTH means Grab By The Horns, the GBTH Project is an urban sim dedicated to contemporary art. You find more information at www.thegbthproject.com

Fiona is Chinese by decent but spent the majority of her life in the West:
“I have a fascination with Chinese history and culture, but I often feel like I’m viewing my ancestry through a filter of Americanized information and experiences. Furthermore, my artistic background has been in charcoal and oil painting mediums, and I’ve had very little experience in actual ink-brush painting. Much of my early years were spent painting landscapes and portraits using oil paint on canvas. However, I developed a love for non-photorealism over the years as an artist. In continuation with my love of non-photorealism, I now produce Chinese ink-brush art in Second Life and exhibit my work around the grid.”
For more information look up FionaFei’s own website

Chuanghu (Windows) by FionaFei – Exhibit at GBTH Project (1)

Fiona has also written a short text about her installation Chuanghu (Windows):
“Chuānghu is an architectural installation in the style of ink wash.  It is a modern take of today’s urban environment, especially crowded areas filled with buildings and structures that are close together.  In the meantime, it also provides a type of openness, where all the “walls” are see-through, acting as windows.
The space is meant to be explored, with poses set up in various elements of the installation.  Visitors can sit on the windows and “swap” to pose in other areas within the space.  It is my hope that visitors will take pictures, where each picture is a piece of art.”

Chuanghu (Windows) by FionaFei – Exhibit at GBTH Project (2)

You reach the installation with a seperate teleport from where you land at GBTH Project. Having seen some of Fiona’s art already I felt immediately familar “in” her installation. One of the features of her art is that you can walk through it and thus experience it in a different way. Chuanghu (Windows) is completely held in Black and White and thus the visitor is the colourful element in her installation. You see not just windows, but doors, even houses, rooms, roofs and sometimes they melt together to a thick black, at other times or viewing angels all elements look transparent and gray and light. Of course I also tried to “sit” and tested a few poses. That was fun! And also provided another view on Chuanghu (Windows).

Thank you Fiona for another piece of your art. And many thanks to the GBTH project for enabling this exhibtion.

Landmark to Chuanghu (Windows) – FionaFei Exhibit – GBTH Project
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/the%20GBTH%20project/219/100/47
FionaFei’s own website
https://fionafei.portfoliobox.net/
GBTH Project website
http://www.thegbthproject.com