Diomita Maurer’s Blog

Bamboo Barnes opened a new exhibition at The Kondor Art Center on April 20th. It is named “Unusual“. The music at the opening event was provided once again by hEIN! (heinrichmarder).

I visited a few days before the opening as Bamboo invited me over. And I mixed up the exhibitions! Bad me. The only excuse I have is that it was late. And yes, I was a bit irritated as the pictures didn’t fully fit to her style. But they were colourful, that detail fitted. Anyway, to make up for it I visited again today. So not only the title is “Unusual” but also this revised post. Thank you for your art, Bamboo .. and thank you for your understanding.

“Unusual” is exhibited on two floors of the exhibition building and consists of close to 40 pictures and rotating 3D objects. Most show female portraits, some more than just one and some female bodies. But all are processed with added layers, with 2nd and 3rd and 4th layers geometric forms that change the the appearance. Often the original portrait is hard to see and you have to immerse yourself to make up your own picture. And as usual for Bamboo Barnes’ style “Unusual” (what a nice pun) all pictures impress by their colourfulness. The 3D objects at the entrance and behind the stairs to the 2nd floor change permanently as the single objects rotate and as on the surfaces several pictures and faded in and out. This way you always get an unique view.

Impressions of “Unusual” by Bamboo Barnes @ The Kondor Art Center (1)

Bamboo wrote in an accompanying notecard about “Unusal“:
“I was taught to always compare myself to others and to stand within the line that was drawn. To not even think about what would happen after I crossed that line.
What is normal and what is unusual, it kept me bound inside for quite a few years.
One day I jumped off of it and landed in a world of chaos, and since then everything has changed in my world, above and below. The good and the bad. Everything was new.
Now I wish I could relive that time of joy and awe all over again.”

Impressions of “Unusual” by Bamboo Barnes @ The Kondor Art Center (3)

Bamboo is in Second Life for over 15 years already, painting software & photoshop are her best friends. Bamboo had many exhibtions and appearances in the Second Life art scene and in 2018 she had her first exhibition in real life: “I create what I see but maybe you won’t, they are about people’s reality and  mind.”
Bamboo’s art is a mixture of abstract forms, of people and photographs. Most pictures are colourful and it is in the eye of the beholder what we see in her pictures.
I myself saw her work the first time at La Maison d’Aneli during the Holiday season 2019/2020 (read here). I also saw her exhibition “Marginal Mannerism” at DixMixGallery in April 2021 (read here), the exhibition “Meant to be” at Itakos Art Gallery last year (read here), I saw “Conjure” at FOCUS Magazine F.A.I.R Gallery in August 2021 (read here), “Mindstorm” at IMAGO Land (read here) and “Drawer” at Hannington Arts Foundation (read here). In December 2021 I saw her exhibition “The path” at Art care gallery (read here) and 2022 i visited “Metaphysics” at the Kondar Art Center, (read here), Colores Primarios (read here), “New Day”  (read here) and  “Personal Aspect” (read here). This is the first exhibition, that I saw of her in this year – and all pictures are brand new. One could say, I’m a fan of Bamboo’s art!
Look also at Bamboo’s flickr page.

Impressions of “Unusual” by Bamboo Barnes @ The Kondor Art Center (3)

At the opening event hEIN (heinrichmader) was the dj. hEIN is from Austria. He had over 500 online DJ sets in SL between 2010 and 2022. He’s also a DJ in RL and got several awards. hEIN! publishes electronic music that he calls “Art Techno” because of the voice processing he does. If you want more information about him, read the interview about his RL and SL activities that he gave in March 2022 here. hEIN! has also an own website.

Hermes Kondor (aka Luis Vasconcelos) is from Lisbon, Portugal. He’s a former teacher of photography and photojournalism and looks back on 40 years of photography experience. Hermes likes to see and shoot and he loves street photography. Hermes is in Second Life since 2007. He is the owner and curator of the Kondor Art Center, Thank you Hermes for enabling the exhibition “Unusual” by Bamboo Barnes.

I enjoyed my pre-visit. Thank you Bamboo.

Landmark to “Unusual” by Bamboo Barnes at The Kondor Art Center
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Waka/219/163/810
Bamboo Barnes’ flickr page
https://www.flickr.com/photos/bamboobarnes/
hEIN! RL/SL Interview 3/2022:
https://www.cityflyer.at/heinrich-mader-aka-hein-tanzen-im-metaversum/
nHEIN! website:
www.hein.vision