Art in Second Life 2022 (49) Exoplanet 2 by Gem Preiz

02 Jun 2022 Leave a comment

by diomitamaurer in Art in Second Life Tags: , , , , , , ,

Wednesday, June 1st, Exoplanet 2 by Gem Preiz was opened at Akijima, a member of the Akipelago group of sims dedicated to artistic and natural beauty in its many forms, owned by Akiko Kinoshi (Akiko Kiyori).

Exoplanet is a project in two parts. The first one, « One Step Further » opened on 22.02.2022 (nice date!).  I visited Exoplanet 1 in February and reported about it (read Art in Second Life 2022 (21) Exoplanet by Gem Preiz)
Exoplanet 1 featured the crew of a space mission preparing to explore extra-solar planets and you can still visit it.
Exoplanet 2 is an extension and you visit a space station on the eve of its return to Earth.

The landing point on the space station is next to an entrance control. Here you’re asked to adjust your viewer settings for the visit and you can grab a notecard as well as HUD’s for setting the environment and for teleporting around Exoplanet 1 and 2.

Impressions of Exoplanet 2 by Gem Preiz (1) – landing on the space station

From the landing point you enter a huge hallway, the outer ring with many moduls used as warehouse, for storing and launching drones, as cabins for the crew, for several laboratories, as entrance to the the shuttle ships, and a module for emergencies: “All modules contain many interactive devices where you can: rest in cabins; contribute to experiences; launch drones and follow them on radar; pilot spaceships around the station; test emergency systems; and finally leave the station to reach Exoplanet 1 with the main Shuttle.“

Impressions of Exoplanet 2 by Gem Preiz (2) – Drones (upper left), Warehouse (upper right), Cabins (lower left and right)

I launched a drone and I visited several cabins. I felt like within a science fiction film and my black latex dress fitted not too bad in this environment. I also visited the rescue modul. Behind a security glass panel you see the rescue ship. I entered through the door in the panel and sat into the rescue ship. It was released downwards and I was in space. The ship was easily to control and I used it to for a litte tour around the space station. Manoeuvring it back into the rescue modul was a bit tricky, but possible and I could continue my tour.

Impressions of Exoplanet 2 by Gem Preiz (3) – A trip into space with the rescue ship

There are quite some laboratory modules and I had a look into all of them. To be honest, I didn’t really understand what the single labs were intended for, but in the short time of my visit I also didn’t have enough time for that. I’m pretty sure that you can discover a lot there and Gem wrote that you can even participate in the experiments.

Impressions of Exoplanet 2 by Gem Preiz (4) – The labs

There are several gates from the outer ring with the modules to the center ring and the main room, that is called AGORA. Gem Preiz’s intriguing fractals, that look like planets and stars are showcased in the hallway around AGORA. In total there are “16 fractals (8 unfriendly planet + landscape), illustrating sites visited by the crew during the mission”. And as the space station is preparing the return to earth, the upper level of the gallery shows 8 landscapes sketch-like photos illustrating real sites on Earth.

Impressions of Exoplanet 2 by Gem Preiz (5) – The AGORA Main Hall and the galleries

Gem Preiz “is educated in science and mathematics and is fond of anything related to Nature, Cosmos and Earth, from astronomy to geology. The world of fractals is, in the same way, ruled by Mathematics functions which, as Physics do in Nature, enable to create objects which features repeat themselves at every scale. There lies his passion for fractals: create thanks to the power and pureness of the Mathematical concept, images the complexity of which can suggest Nature beings, objects or sceneries.”
The pictures shown in the galleries alone are worth a visit to Exoplanet 2.

I used the teleporter HUD to visit the next destinations and there’s a lot more to discover and try out. I visited the Hibernation room, the reactor, the Communication center, the Data Center and the Main Control Room. I did not visit the Medical center, Training center, Cinema and Offices. Gem wrote that there are many interactive devices (medical equipment, gym, movies etc.).

Impressions of Exoplanet 2 by Gem Preiz (6) – Main Control room (upper left), Data Center (upper right), Hibernation room (lower left), Communication center (lower right)

Gem Preiz provided a few of his thoughts about “Exoplanet” in his notecard:
“Scientists have classified about 5,000 exoplanets, that were discovered up until today, and prioritized them according to whether they allow the development of life as we know it.
Forgetting for a moment the vast distances that separate us from these extra-solar worlds, Exoplanet 1 staged the beginnings of their in situ exploration. Exoplanet 2 presents the mission on the eve of its return to Earth, reporting on the visit to some worlds with inhospitable reliefs and conditions for humans. By contrast, a gallery of familiar terrestrial landscapes reminds us of the simple evidence that the most suitable universe for man is the one from which he was born.
Because if the study of exoplanets is an essential discipline for what it can teach us about the universe, and for the awareness that it can generate in humanity in case the existence of life is discovered, it should not obscure the urgency of preserving our planet the Earth, by dreams of unrealistic conquests.”

By visiting all areas I learned about the structure of the space station and began to create a little orientation map for myself for further visits or for you find your way in this huge station.

Impressions of Exoplanet 2 by Gem Preiz (7) – Orientation map

I ended my visit with another trip into space. This time I used a space shuttle. That was fun!

I have seem quite some of Gem’s former installations and exhibitions. His way to build futuristic towns and settings, using geometrical forms and the way he combines sim design, his fractal pictures, light and light effects is really artful and always a highlight to visit. Thank you very much for your art and for this new installation, Gem! And a big thank you for the fun that you also provided with Exoplanet 1 and Exoplanet 2. It really was a trip into another world.

Impressions of Exoplanet 2 by Gem Preiz (8) – Another trip into space

Thank you Akiko Kinoshi (Akiko Kiyori) for providing the space for this artful installation. I enjoyed my visit a lot!

Landmarkt to EXOPLANET 2 by Gem Preiz – Landing Point
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Akijima/120/222/4010
Landmark to Exoplanet 1 by Gem Preiz
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Akikaze/140/77/3601
Gem Preiz flickr
https://www.flickr.com/photos/187894176@N07/albums

Art in Second Life 2022 (48) Waitings by Melusina Parkin

31 May 2022 1 Comment

by diomitamaurer in Art in Second Life Tags: , , , ,

I got an invitation of Melusina Parkin to see her newest exhibtion “Waitings” at “IMAGO’s Suburbs Galleries“. It has been opened on May 25th.

The exhibition is featured in two large storage halls that look a bit like hangars. IMAGOLand and Art Galleries are owned and curated by Mareea Farrasco.

Melusina’s pictures are at the walls of the hangars, 12 pictures in each hangar. I am a fan of Melusina Parkin’s art. Melusina succeeds to make you focus on details, to see the hidden beauty of some designs. Her art is minimalistic, often there’re only a few elements in her pictures. In the center of the right hangar you find a table with a book about “Waitings” sold by Melusina Parkin. Those who are regular visitors to Melusina Parkin’s exhibitions know these books already. Melusina makes one of every exhibition. The book about “Waitings” is sold at the exhibition, all others are sold under her brand “Melubooks” in a seperate book store: Melubooks shop.

Impressions of “Waitings” by Melusina Parkin at IMAGO’s Suburbs Galleries (1)

Melusina wrote about “Waitings“:

“All of us spend a lot of time waiting for someone or something. Waiting can be anxiety, fear, boredom, whishes. We don’t know what will happem when the waiting will end and something new will start: waiting is facing the void and filling up that void with hopes or worries, fear or desires. 
Representing waitings could be simple: people standing at a bus stop, sitting alone at a cafe table, looking at a watch, stopping at a crossroad… I’ve choosen different ways, photographing mostly empty scenes; only few of the photos in this exhibition show people, and when that happens, the picture shows details that express the emotions that waiting can make arise. They are taken at rail stations, waiting rooms, crossroads, theaters, cafes, trains, street corners… the countless places where usually we stay waiting. I wanted to show that the scene itself is waiting for being filled up with people.“

Impressions of “Waitings” by Melusina Parkin at IMAGO’s Suburbs Galleries (2)

The photos of “Waitings” invite the spectator to create own stories around them. They make us focus on the main object, there’re only little details that distract the focus. The pumps … how might the woman look who wear them? Old? Young? Who or what is she waiting for? Will she sit in the cafe of which we just see two empty chairs? Or is she waiting for the bus and will play the cello in another photo? I simply love Melusina’s minimalsim, her way to pull the spectator into her photos.

Impressions of “Waitings” by Melusina Parkin at IMAGO’s Suburbs Galleries (1)

Melusina Parkin is in Second Life since September 2008. She has been a fashion manager, a journalist, a furniture creator, a builder, a decorator and a photographer. Her work as a photographer has been showcased in more than 50 exhibitions – from which I saw just a few. Melusina has a flickr account which counts more than 13,000 (!) photographs. Extensive collections of her photos can be seen also on her blog Virtual Exhibits and on some slideshows on Youtube (links also under this post).
There’s also an online book with her Second Life exhibits 2011-2019 here.
Melusina Parkin has an own gallery at Time Portal and an own store for Art Deco furniture called “Melu Deco“. Melusina also owns a second place (Melu Space) with another gallery (Minimum Gallery), a bookstore and another “Melu Deco” inworld store.

Thank you Mareea Farrasco for enabling the exhibition “Waitings” at your gallery. Thank you, Melusina for another great exhibition. I enjoyed my visit and creating my own stories.

Landmark to “Waitings” at IMAGO’s Suburbs Galleries
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Shaker%20Beach/76/77/3552
Landmark to Melusina Photo Gallery
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Time%20Portal/248/101/1940
Landmark to Melu Space (Minimum Gallery, Melubooks, Melu Deco)
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Lunula/192/9/21
Landmark to Melubooks shop
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Lunula/127/112/647
Landmark to Melusina Parkin’s store for Art Deco furniture “Melu Deco”
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Time%20Portal/243/99/1930
Melusina Parker’s flickr
http://www.flickr.com/photos/melusina_parkin/
Melusina Parkin’s Virtual Exhibit blog
http://meluphoto.blogspot.it/p/home.html
Melusina Parkin’s youtube channel
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVzglBiqhrOLXnAp3Qt3Zjw
On line book Second Life exhibits 2011-2019
https://www.calameo.com/books/005997622f28dd58ca75d

Art in Second Life 2022 (47) Masks by Milena Carbone

23 May 2022 Leave a comment

by diomitamaurer in Art in Second Life Tags: , , , ,

Sunday, May 15th, Milena Carbone opened a new exhibtion named “Masks” in the forest hall at her own gallery, The Carbone Studio.

Milena wrotes: “I wanted to explore our relationship to the mask, an object that dates back to the beginnings of mankind and that has gradually taken a prominent place in our postmodern lives.” In her exhibition she avoided the use of gasmasks and medical masks as they represent the two main crises in the world in this day and age. What is more important for her is to ask the question of the masks that we do not see as masks: What hides our sight, our anxieties, our fears, our disgusts, what hides the real that we do not want to see?

The exhibition consists of nine pictures. Milena deals in them with three aspects of hiding feelings and emotions, of hiding our real self: Mascara, Masquerade and Masks. Milena always combines text and pictures in her artwork. At the entrance of the exhibtion you find the texts to these three aspects, one is a quote from Bansky. I strongly recommend reading the texts, they are part of Milena’s artwork.

Impressions of “Masks” by Milena Carbone

Milena published the texts also on her website in a post about “Masks”.
The pictures focus on the ways we hide ourselves. The longer you look at them the more you begin trying to reveal what is behind the facade, you want to understand, to get to the core, but you can’t. You can only see at the forehead, you can never see inside. Although Milena’s pictures are full of details, they also are kind of minimalistic as there’s no second theme, no second layer, nothing else that distracts the view of the spectator.

Impressions of “Masks” by Milena Carbone (pictures taken from Milena’s website)

Milena Carbone (mylena1992) is a French artist and is in Second Life since mid 2019. She discovered its artistic potential and since then has devoted all her free time to creation, associating, as in real life, images and texts: “Milena Carbone is a fiction in which, as in any artistic work, biographical and imaginary elements are mixed.” Her creative process is iterative: some of her images inspire her stories and these stories modify the development of the image, which itself transforms the story.
Milena has an own gallery, the Carbone Studio and she has a bookstore @ Noir’Wen City.
Milena has an own website, you can also find her on flickr here and you can read her texts here.

Thank you Milena for another great exhibition.

Landmark to The Carbone Studio – and to Masks
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Woiler/179/188/3316
Landmark to The Carbone Bookstore @ Noir’Wen City
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Noir%20Wen/243/203/32
Milena’s website
https://sites.google.com/view/thecarbonegallery/news
Milena’s post about “Masks” on her website
https://sites.google.com/view/thecarbonegallery/exhibitions/masks
Milena Carbone’s flickr
https://www.flickr.com/photos/milenacarbone/
Milena Carbone’s writing
https://medium.com/@539568

Art in Second Life 2022 (46) Garden by Cica Ghost

21 May 2022 Leave a comment

by diomitamaurer in Art in Second Life Tags: , ,

Tuesday, May 17th, Cica Ghost opened a new installation named “Garden“: “Happiness is a butterfly in my garden.“

As usual with Cica’s installation you shall use shared environment, set advanced lighting and activate shadows from sun/moon and projectors. Theenvironment settings are part of Cica’s art. For “Garden” she selected a very summerly and “hot” environment with just a few fair-weather clouds.

Garden is a happy place. It is a place to get to other thoughts, to wind down and to enjoy. Cica’s worlds are always huge, the daisies, the clover and the grass are high as trees compared to humans in Second Life. It is a real thicket, everything is green and blooming, just lovely!

Impressions of “Garden” by Cica Ghost (1)

The first animals I came across was a group of three cats, not hided but well exposed *winks*. Thank you, Cica. The three cats look at a comparably small caterpillar. And as in every garden there are pots or other containers used for decoration or plants.

Impressions of “Garden” by Cica Ghost (2)

Other animals in Cica’s Garden are butterflies, snail and ants. You can purchase the butterflies at the garden. There’s a turned over pot used as a little on site store. These butterflies are not flying around, They are static but flapping wings.
Another typical tool you need in a garden is a ladder (at least with these high flowers *winks*). A huge ladder is kind of a landmark in Cica’s Garden.

Impressions of “Garden” by Cica Ghost (3)

It is fun to explore Cica’s Garden. You find nice scenes with happy inhabitants and it is just a joy to watch. I didn’t find any places to sit and watch though this time. But I might have been not looking out enough. What I did find is a place to dance and I tried it out. I liked in particular a scene were the ants are collaborating to  bend down a flower. Two others ants watch three ants working – just like in RL!

Some ants at Cica’s garden

Did I mention the butterflies? They are also quite human, standing around flapping their wings or flying and enjoying the scene. With the fresh Summer colours, all the green, the lovely animals, and the contagious fun they have, Garden is a really happy place.

Impressions of “Garden” by Cica Ghost (4)

If you’re not in a happy mood, visit Cica’s Garden. It will make you smile! I enjoyed my short visit a lot and returned with a smile in my face.
Thank you Cica for another lovely installation!

Landmark to “Garden” by Cica Ghost
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Reflections/58/103/25
Cica Ghost’s shop inworld
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Del%20Mondo/36/192/24
Cica Ghost’s shop on the marketplace
https://marketplace.secondlife.com/stores/98471
Cica Ghost’s flickr:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/64860898@N05/

Art in Second Life 2022 (45) “Waterfalls” by Nils Urqhart @ The Uzine gallery “L’autre monde”

16 May 2022 Leave a comment

by diomitamaurer in Art in Second Life Tags: , , , , ,

Just before yesterday my post about Nils Urqhart’s exhibition “The Forgotten Worlds” at United Artist of SL in the Galerie Principale has been published (read my blogpost here).  I wrote that Nils has a lot of exhibitions in different SL galleries and I got another invitation to see “Waterfalls” by Nils Urqhart. This exhibtion is at a place named “The Uzine”.
“The Uzine is open again. Located on the rooftops of London, The Uzine offers a permanent exhibition of photographs. And if you go through the gateway you will go to the gallery “L’autre monde” (the other world)”
Nils Uqhart’s exhibtion is at the gallery “L’autre monde”. The Uzine is group owned, the group was found by Filip Odriscoll.

The gallery “L’autre monde” is quite outstanding. It is embedded in a scene of ruins. The wreck of an old coach is in one corner. The walls offer some cosy corners to sit and one roof is used as a party area. The walls offer more room than you would think on a first glance. In total the exhibition compromises 15 pictures.

Impressions from “Waterfalls” by Nils Urqhart @ The Uzine gallery “L’autre monde”

As each picture has an own wall, often even an own corner, it can develop a stronger impression. And each of the waterfalls is very different. Nils managed to catch unique places and unique moments with his camera. In some pictures the water looks blue, in others white and in one picture it even looks green. And the pictures are not processed or manipulated (as far as I can tell).

Impressions from “Waterfalls” by Nils Urqhart @ The Uzine gallery “L’autre monde” (1)

Quite close to where you land you see another poster for “Waterfalls” (see the picture above). Clicking this poster provides a short bio of Nils and a list of his current exhibitions.

Nils Urqhart (Paul Maurice in RL) is a French photographer in RL. He takes his photos mainly in French Alps and other French mountains (Vosges, Jura, Bugey, Aubrac…). Nils has a lot of exhibitions in different SL galleries every year.
Nils is in SL since December 2007. Since 2010, his photos have been on display year-round at Art gallery Rill’Arts. Nils (or Paul in RL) has an own website where you can purchase his pictures to decorate you RL home.

Nils Urqhart is the creator of the RL Photo Festival Helvellyn, the Helvellyn Christmas Market and the Helvellyn Summer Fair – all three are annual artistic events. There are quite some potential contact opportunities besides his webpage: Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Impressions from “Waterfalls” by Nils Urqhart @ The Uzine gallery “L’autre monde” (2)

I like Nils Urqhart (Paul Maurice) RL pictures. They are kind of a connecting element between RL and SL. With “Waterfalls” you visit a “real” exhibtion in a virtual environment. And I also like the gallery, a great place to present pictures! Thank you Filip Odriscoll and to anyone involved for providing this space for the arts.
Thank you Nils for another great exhibition.

Landmark to Nils Urqhart “Waterfalls” @ The Uzine gallery “L’autre monde”
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Sbrodolina/82/201/1617
Landmark to Art Gallery Rill’Arts
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Helvellyn/58/206/31
Nils Urqhart (Paul Maurice in RL)’s website
https://paul-maurice.pixels.com/
Paul Maurice on Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/paul.maurice.92
Paul Maurice on Twitter
https://twitter.com/apollo0300
Paul Maurice on Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/paulcmaurice/

Art in Second Life 2022 (44) “The Forgotten Worlds” by Nils Urqhart @ United Artists of SL

14 May 2022 Leave a comment

by diomitamaurer in Art in Second Life Tags: , , , ,

I got an invitation from Nils Urqhart to see his newest exhibtion at United Artist of SL in the Galerie Principale. The exhibition is titled “The Forgotten Worlds“.

In “The Forgotten Worlds” Nils presents 30 photographs taken in the French Alps. The pictures create a strong contrast to the mordern Galerie Principale, a building that would fit into a Sci-Fi environment. The Galerie Principale building is open at the front and has 3 floors. On the first glance the pictures are small compared to the building. You have to get closer to them to really see them and to  experience them.

All pictures are taken well above or at the treeline. Nils has an eye for almost unreal scenes. Clouds that nestle against the mountain slopes and obscure the peaks. In other pictures, the peaks are above the clouds and you can see how the sun illuminates them. You get an impression of this “forgotten” world, a world mostly unseen by humans, a world of its own. On the other hand this world is stunning and beautiful.

Nils Urqhart (Paul Maurice in RL) is a French photographer in RL. He takes his photos mainly in French Alps and other French mountains (Vosges, Jura, Bugey, Aubrac…). Nils has a lot of exhibitions in different SL galleries every year. You can get a list with all of his current exhibitions from one of the exhibition posters in the center of the first floor of the Galerie Principale at United Artists of SL.
Nils is in SL since December 2007. Since 2010, his photos have been on display year-round at Art gallery Rill’Arts. Nils (or Paul in RL) has an own website where you can purchase his pictures to decorate you RL home.

Nils Urqhart is the creator of the RL Photo Festival Helvellyn, the Helvellyn Christmas Market and the Helvellyn Summer Fair – all three are annual artistic events. There are quite some potential contact opportunities besides his webpage: Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

I like Nils Urqhart (Paul Maurice) RL pictures. They are kind of a connection element between RL and SL. With “The Forgotten Worlds” you visit a “real” exhibtion in a virtual environment. Thank you Nils for another great exhibition

Landmark to Nils Urqhart “The Forgotten Worlds” @ Galerie Principale UASL
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Karpov/128/51/62
Landmark to Art Gallery Rill’Arts
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Helvellyn/58/206/31
Nils Urqhart (Paul Maurice in RL)’s website
https://paul-maurice.pixels.com/
Paul Maurice on Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/paul.maurice.92
Paul Maurice on Twitter
https://twitter.com/apollo0300
Paul Maurice on Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/paulcmaurice/

Art in Second Life 2022 (43) La Maison d’Aneli May 2022

12 May 2022 1 Comment

by diomitamaurer in Art in Second Life Tags: , , , , , , , ,

Wednesday, May 11th, the latest exhibtion at La Maison d’Aneli has been opened. It features the art of Elodiecasa Dragovar, Bachi Cheng, Magda Schmidtzau, Therese Carfagno, NinaCamplin, vroum Short and Aneli Abeyante herself.

I visited La Maison d’Aneli on Sunday, May 8th, a few days before the official opening and began my visit in the skybox of Elodiecasa Dragovar. I saw Elodiecasa’s artwork at La Maison d’Aneli in 2021 the first time (read here). For her skybox in the current exhibition she chose to build a seperate gallery building within a lovely garden and surrounded by a lot of trees and and plants. Her artwork is shown inside of the building. Elodiecasa’s pictures are colourful, strong and of a broad variety, from abstract patterns to filigree forms, from an almost 3D elephant head to compositions that have a touch of Africa.

Elodiecasa Dragovar is in Second Life since 2010. Art is part of her life, she started getting lessons in art aged 9. Since 13 years Elodiecasa lives in Morocco.  In the accompanying notecard as well as on a board at the entrance of the gallery building in her skybox she wrote about herself: “I don’t consider myself as an artist but a passionate person. I love art in all forms, I touch everything. Art is a part of my life, it’s a need“

Sofi (Bachi Cheng)’s art is not new for me. The last time I saw her art was in 2021 when I visited Ant Farm Light Gallery by Regi Yifu featuring Bachi Cheng (read here). For the exhibition at La Maison d’Aneli she chose the title “Good girls go to heaven bad girls go everywhere”. Her skybox is designed as a industrial hall, her pictures are spread over the walls of the hall. Her art is quite feisty and exaggerated, transpiring her message clearly and not subtle, sometimes reminding of comic strips and clearly explicit. There’s a lot to discover and to smile about.

Sofi (Bachi.cheng) is in Second Life since 2009. She’s, an artist painter and designer in RL and SL. Bachi writes about herself and her art: “I love to paint Moments. Moments of life, Moments of Love, Moments so deep that you never want to forget them, Moments at the edge of orgasm or despair, just life like we ought to live it, plainly. Let me take you in the core of my Art”.
Sofi (Bachi Cheng) has also her own gallery here and runs an own website.

Maddy (Magda Schmidtzau)is also an artist, who I have come across already a few times. For her skybox  Maddy selected  a futuristic design with a few glass partitions and 2 rooms with 3D installations surrounded by her pictures. Maddy main subject are portraits and and studies of the female body. She experiments with light and colours, with layers and shadows (remember to set your environment to midnight and to turn advanced lighting on).

Maddy (Magda Schmidtzau) is in Second Life since 2009. She’s passionate about photography in RL and SL. She writes: “I’m not an artist but a researcher of images to be developed… a dreamer with open eyes of this world “out of time”. In SL always open to new possibilities of experimentation trying to convey the magic that I see.”
I’ve seen Maddy’s art the first time back in 2017 at Enchanted Art where her exhibition “Maddy 2017” was showcased (read here) Further on I saw Maddy’s work at La Maison d’Aneli in 2018, 2019 and 2020 (read here, here and here) and at GenovArt Glass Gallery in May 2021 (read here). You can see more of her art at her flickr page.

Therese Carfagno is also an artist who I know from La Maison d’Aneli. She had her last exhibition at La Maison d’Aneli in June 2021 (read here). She came to Second Life in February 2007. Soon she got a job as a journalist, and met the most interesting artists in SL. Seeing so much creativity inspired her to start taking pictures herself. Therese thinks that taking pictures helps to look at the world a little closer – and there are so many wonders to see in SL:
“I have no interest in calling myself an artist. I take snapshots. If I’m happy with the picture because of the motive, the colours, the people in it, or anything, I upload it to Flickr or exhibit it somewhere. That’s it. And if someone else like what I do, that’s even better.”
You can see Therese Carfagno’s pictures also on her flickr account.

Therese’s skybox is a simple squared room in black with her pictures lined up at the walls. She shows two series of pictures. One is clearly taken in Second Life and shows a young woman dressed in different almost sci-fi outfits in different mostly ubran scenes. All pictures contain a blue light or background. You need to have a closer look to get the details and you can try to create your own story that might combine the pictures. The other series shows an astronaut levitating in zero-gravity above a planet. There are texts or snippets from cards at the edges of the pictures but I couldn’t really connect these to the picture. Maybe you can?

NinaCamplin is the only artist of this joined exhibition who is new for me. She’s from Neath Port Talbot, Wales. From the mid 90’s until recently, she painted murals, specialising in trompe l’oeil. She was interested in challenging perceptions of space and creating scenes of faked realities, such as windows, doors and broken walls that open up the flat surface of the wall to give the viewer the optical illusion of an additional dimension beyond. (taken from the accompanying notecard)
In her skybox at La Maison d’Aneli you find yourself in a dark, lonely world and you see the lights of a single house, which is the gallery building. Nina’s pictures show landscapes, sometimes very natural, yet mostly a bit bizarre be it because of the light, the colour or the selected view. It is intriguing to dive deeper into them.

NinaCamplin has developed arthritis in both her hips, which makes it difficult for her to climb scaffolding, stand or sit for long periods. She felt it was time to take her art into a new direction. She is now exploring new areas, including wildlife, landscape, portraiture and current events (particularly Covid related subjects). Her work varies from abstract to photo realistic, depending upon the current project she is working on. Most recently she has been using recycled canvasses to work on, mixing the realistic with the abstract, allowing snippets of the original painting to show through in the final work. (taken from the accompanying notecard)
NinaCamplin is in Second Life since 2011. By displaying her work in Second Life she wants to reach a new audience, much of the work on show here is also available to buy in real life too. You can more of her work on her flickr page and on her website.

Vroum Short’s skybox at La Maison d’Aneli is designed for the opening event of the exhibition. It is a world in green, full of light effects and optical illusions. I could hardly distinguish between spaces that I could enter and illusions. The world around you changes permanently and offers new perspectives every second. Can I walk up the stairs? Is it s floor or a hole? Objects are levitating freely… and there’s the green cat and her paws. As always Vroum’s world is fascinating! You get lost in it.

I know Vroum Short as the owner of VeGeTaL PLaNeT. I peeked at it several times but never found the time to really visit it and to write an extra blog entry about it. The VeGeTaL PLaNeT also hosted Aneli Abeyante’s La Maison d’Aneli for about a year. VeGeTaL PLaNeT is gone but there’s now the VeGeTaL PLaNeT Gallery (read about it here and here)
Vroum Short is a French SL artist since 2007. She works with lights and light effects, mostly very colourful. Vegetal Planet Gallery a world where everything becomes possible and achievable where the barriers of reality fade away to let the imagination flood it with life.
Vroum has a store for her art on the marketplace and a flickr account.

La Maison d’Aneli is owned by Aneli Abeyante. Through her gallery she brings together all forms of creativity in RL and SL and the featured artists come from around the globe. Aneli’s intention is to “put her gallery in the service of artists, so that the world can be better, exchanges and meetings probably contribute even though it seems to be particles.”
The room that is usually designed for the opening events at La Maison d’Aneli is used by Aneli Abeyante herself this time. Aneli’s art is colourful, steadily moving, and with particular light effects. Aneli writes about herself: “I love geometry and mathematics. So after much practice, I managed to clear structures and shapes. In reality I practice painting, I do not have precise style but I always seek harmonization.”

There are permanently changing colourful abstract pictures with different layers, permanently changing and offering a different view every second. On one wall Aneli showcasts almost monochrome structures reminding of minerals or structured surfaces. They look like having 3 dimensions and demonstrate optical illusions.
Aneli Abeyante is in Second Life since 2009. You can see more of her art on her flickr account. Besides her own artwork, Aneli’s passion is curating La Maison d’Aneli.

Thank you for another great joined exhibtion, Aneli. As always I enjoyed my visit and writing about it.

Landmark to La Maison d’Aneli
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Virtual%20Holland/23/71/22
Sofi (Bachi Cheng)’s gallery
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Northfarthing/111/108/602
Sofi (Bachi Cheng)’s website
https://aliasetalias.com/
Maddy (Magda Schmidtzau)’s flickr
https://www.flickr.com/photos/magdyne/
Therese Carfagno’s flickr
https://www.flickr.com/photos/carfagno
NinaCamplin’s flickr
https://www.flickr.com/photos/ninacamplin
NinaCampli’s website
https://ninacamplin.co.uk
Landmark to VeGeTaL PLaNeT Gallery
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Oreo/64/100/501
Vroum Short’s flickr account
https://www.flickr.com/photos/vroum_short/albums
Vroum Short’s art on marketplace
https://marketplace.secondlife.com/fr-FR/stores/81862
Aneli Abeyante’s flickr
https://www.flickr.com/photos/190057098@N06/

Art in Second Life 2022 (42) “un.seen” by Catherine Nikolaidis @ Dixmix Gallery Lounge

06 May 2022 Leave a comment

by diomitamaurer in Art in Second Life Tags: , , , , ,

Tuesday, May 3rd, I got a message from Dixmix Source, who told me that he has a new place in SL, the Dixmix Gallery Lounge. Currently there’s an exhibition named “un.seen” by Catherine Nikolaidis. The exhibition was opened on April 30th.

Impressions of the Dixmix Gallery Lounge

The Dixmix Gallery Lounge is a place “where art meets hospitality” and “hospitality is an art“. It is an almost square building with an open roof through which you can look into the skies. The lounge offers countless opportunities to sit inside as well as outside. And you are surrounded by art. For example outside is a sculpture by Moki Yuitza named “gatto stiracchioso_dix” (stingy cat dix according to google translator). But also all the lights outside and the pictures inside add to the art experience at Dixmix Gallery Lounge. And for sure you can party at the lounge.

Impressions of “un.seen” by Catherine Nikolaidis @ Dixmix Gallery Lounge (1)

At least for right now the left side of the Dixmix Gallery Lounge building is used as an exhibition space for “un.seen” by Catherine Nikoladis . The exhibition consists of eight photographs in black&white, obviously taken in Second Life and processed with light and shadow effects into erotic art. All photographs show women in lingerie or naked, but never fully naked and always leaving enough room for the fantasies and stories of the spectator.
I saw Catherine Nikolaidis’ artful photographs when I visited “Soulportraits” at Itakos Art Gallery in March 2021 (read here). And I saw two exhibitions of her at DixMix Gallery in 2021 “Zwarwit” (read here) and “Quelqu’un” (read here).
The title “un.seen” could had two meanings. Firstly that the spectator sees new photographs never shown before, or secondly that the photographs themself show models or scenes where the model felt alone, not seen by anyone and able to be herself.

Impressions of “un.seen” by Catherine Nikolaidis @ Dixmix Gallery Lounge (2)

Catherine Nikolaidis was born in Greece and lives in the Netherlands. She joined Second Life in 2007 and photography is one of her passions. She writes about herself: “I believe strongly in sharing. I believe in communicating. I believe in creation and inspiration. I love black & white. I feel strongly for music.”
Catherine is a photographer, blogger & brand manager for several stores. She runs her own website and shares her work also on her flickr page.

I enjoyed my first visit to Dixmix Gallery Lounge, Dixmix’ new space for the art which is not only a gallery but also a place to for artists and art lovers to meet and to have fun. Thank you Dixmix and thank you Catherine for you art. And thank you Violet Boa, who does the PR work for the Dixmix Gallery Lounge and who is always helpful for me to gather information.

Landmark to Dixmix Gallery Lounge
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Lawaii%20Myst/31/202/2254
Dixmix Gallery flickr
https://www.flickr.com/groups/dixmixgallery/
Catherine Nikolaidis flickr
https://www.flickr.com/photos/cathnikol/
Catherine Nikolaidis own website
https://www.catherinenikolaidis.nl/

Art in Second Life 2022 (41) Gravity by Lika Cameo

04 May 2022 Leave a comment

by diomitamaurer in Art in Second Life Tags: , , , , , , ,

Friday, April 29th, Dido Hass invited me to visit “Gravity” by Lika Cameo in her Nitroglobus Roof gallery. The exhibition opened officially on Sunday, May 1st.

“You know you’re in love when you can’t fall asleep because reality is finally better than your dreams.” (Dr. Seuss)

Love can be scary only because you realize you care about someone as much as you care about yourself. You open your hearth knowing that it could be broken, however being vulnerable is the only way to allow your heart to feel true pleasure, joy and excitement, and make you feel that true bond and energy that is pulling you to belong to the other.
The collection “Gravity” outlines the force between the two, that calling and longing which makes two humans to be so attracted to each other. Through this project I wanted to convey that connection and bond. I called gravity a synonym of love, only because, like gravity, love is pulling two sides.
Each piece showcases different aspects of that bond that love brings.
(text taken from the accompanying notecard by Lika Cameo)

Impressions of “Gravity” by Lika Cameo @ Nitroglobus Roof Gallery (1)

I know the gallery space in the meanwhile quite well, yet the mirroring effect of the floor always excites me again. The presentation of the art is simply a piece of art itself and adds a lot to the experience. There’re again some light effect and objects, these were done by Adwehe, another artist who I have covered already a few times in this blog.
Lika’s pictures are showcased at the walls and they mirror in the floor. Take a closer look and you will find differences though. Some pictures are coloured in the mirrored version, others a black an white while the original is coloured.
The large exhibition space is separated by two pictures that are placed into the room. You will notice that from the other side these pictures are partly transparent just leaving the motive standing alone. You get a whole different view!

Lika added poems to her pictures. Twelve poems are from Celestial Demon (celestialdemon), two are from Pablo Neruda and one was written by Lika herself. The two poems of Pablo Neruda refer to a series of three pictures each, the twelve poems from Celestial Demon are illustrated by one picture each.
Celestial Demon (celestialdemon) is an Italian artist, who is in Second Life for more than 10 years. I couldn’t find out much about him, as his profile is in Italian. He’s not only a poet but makes artful pictures as well. You can see his art on his flickr page. Dido Haas told me that Celestial Demon (celestialdemon) and Lika are friends. And for “Gravity” Celestial Demon wrote the poems fitting to Lika’s pictures, thus creating an artful connection of texts and pictures.

Impressions of “Gravity” by Lika Cameo @ Nitroglobus Roof Gallery (2)

The synonym of Love:

You are gravity…
I am bound to you
My heart’s anchor
My soul’s keeper

You are gravity…
Sink into your gaze
Drown into your smile
Stitched to your skin

You are gravity
My mind’s perception
My DNA complexion
My love magnet
My You…

Lika Cameo

“Gravity” is a very touching exhibition that deals with the attraction of two people called love. We can’t really explain it, we are attracted to the other as if gravity holds us close. On the other hand love provides wings and make us light. Lika expresses the different aspects and feelings in her pictures, that show the connection be it my madness, melody, magnet,  roots, earth, white noise, oxygen, skin, fire or my universe.

Lika Cameo (Likacameo) is in Second Life for more than 4 years. She’s passionate about art, photography, architecture, travel, yoga and people. Lika has a flickr account with more of her art and she has an own gallery in Second Life, the Cameo Art Studio.

“As the pandemic emerged, I found myself drifting more into art. In the last two years I had several exhibits in Second Life, each one was a story, an opportunity and a learning experience. The intent of my work is not to make changes or to solve problems, or answer questions, all I do is convey feelings a human can have through my eyes.
Visual perception of feelings is an incredible dive for me. I am mostly focused on human body, I am drawn towards portraiture, use of lights and shadows with mostly a monochrome pailleté.
I always challenge myself and experiment, I don’t have one specific style that I totally contemplate. I use several technics, mixed media, starting with hand sketching or taking pictures, to digital painting and editing.”
(text taken from the accompanying notecard by Lika Cameo)

With “Gravity” Lika Cameo succeeded to convey feelings!

Impressions of “Gravity” by Lika Cameo @ Nitroglobus Roof Gallery (3)

Nitroglobus Roof Gallery is owned and curated by Dido Haas. Thank you, Dido for providing the space for the art and for enabling the exhibition “Gravity” by Lika Cameo. The exhibition will be open throughout May.
Thank you Adwehe for the light effects and thank you David Silence for creating the exhibition post. Last but not least, thank you Lika for your art. I really enjoyed my visit!

Landmark to “Garvity” by Lika Cameo at Nitroglobus Roof Gallery
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Sunshine%20Homestead/38/22/1001
Lika Cameo’s flickr
https://www.flickr.com/photos/184680643@N05/albums
Cameo Art Studio
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Bragg/105/230/2202
Celestial Demon (celestialdemon)’s Flickr page
https://www.flickr.com/people/celestialdemon/

Art in Second Life (40) Lobby Cam by Bryn Oh

01 May 2022 Leave a comment

by diomitamaurer in Art in Second Life Tags: , , , ,

Bryn Oh gave me the opportunity of seeing/expieriencing her latest installation “Lobby Cam” that is going to open on May 1st. So far I have visited Bryn Oh’s sim Immersiva a few times but I never spent enough time to immerse deeper into her installation. Getting this exclusive opportunity I decided to visit her newest installation, which is not at her sim Immersiva but on a sim named Immersivist.

Before I visited I tried to get a deeper insight into Bryn’s world and a I read a few posts from Inara Pey on her blog. Quite helpful was her post “Hand and the art of Bryn Oh in her own words“.

“With my work I build for different types of people. There are those who have followed my work and know how to search for the deeper layers; they are the “experts”. For them, the story and time line are important. But I also try to build for people who know nothing about the history of the world I have created. So I build in layers: the top layer is for people who know nothing of my work and they enjoy the story on its own; the next layer is the story and then concepts within the story and the final layers are where the story fits into the time line.” (quote from Bryn Oh)

For sure I belong to those knowing nothing….

Impressions of “Lobby Cam” by Bryn Oh (1)

Bryn’s many installations are all connected with each other. Her artwork in Second Life is one long narrative which began in 2009. Each new work is a chapter in this story. They follow a timeline, yet they were not published in this order. Actually “Lobby Cam” is at the start of the timeline.
Bryn’s art is about virtual worlds and her art is showcased in virtual worlds. Bryn’s work is about AI, about a future world where reality and virtuality have melted into each other, where you can’t distinct the two anymore. It brings up questions like implanted memories and the difficulty to decide what is real.
Bryn’s art is interactive and her installations in virtual environments are made to experience them, to become part of it. You can still visit her installations “Hand” and “Brittle Epoch“. And when you begin you will get drawn deeper and deeper as you immerse into Bryn’s world. But you can also see her art on other media, you can watch videos of Bryn Oh’s installations on youtube, for example her installation “Hand” is on youtube.
You can find so much of about Bryn and her art on the internet that I simply got lost and was quite unsure how to put my many impressions and thoughts into words. You will have to do that yourself, I will just provide a few links from where you can start your own journey (see links below).

Landing at “Lobby Cam” by Bryn Oh

But back to “Lobby Cam”. You don’t need to know anything about the timeline and Bryn’s narrative for a visit ot “Lobby Cam”. For those interested, the timeline is shown at the landing point of “Lobby Cam”. Upon landing you should make sure that you “Use shared environment” and set advanced lighting on in your viewer. Furtheron you should enable shadows from moon and projectors on to get the full experience. Then you have to click the “click here” sign to enable experience tools which will add a diary book (hud) to your top right. It will appear large on your screen, click the icon in the top right to minimize it.
Start your visit by walking towards the painting and enter the narrative. Click on everything and you will find various interactive elements and secrets, as well as you will find pages from a torn up diary on the ground. These pages with advance the story in the diary hud (you have to maximize it again of course).

Impressions of “Lobby Cam” by Bryn Oh (2)

The story takes place in the present during the pandemic. The main character is a middle aged man living in the middle of nowhere in a remote converted grain silo. He watches a girl, who he calls Fern, through a security camera surveilling the lobby of an appartment building.

While exploring you can also find elements to write a letter. If you find the envelope, pen and ink, paper and stamp and all the pages you will have the ingredients to write a letter from the main character to Fern. If you click the red mailbox on the train platform you can send this message directly to Bryn by email. Bryn will respondto all letters sent as Fern would reply to your message. This will end the story depending on what you write.
Bryn added: “In the past I have done something similar requiring me to reply to several hundred letters and each I do without using a form letter… it is very time consuming but I feel it is important.”

Impressions of “Lobby Cam” by Bryn Oh (2)

Born in Toronto, Bryn attended the Ontario College of Art and Design (OCAD) and studied Fine Art Drawing and painting, receiving the George A Reid award for painting. Subsequent to that attended the Toronto School of Art as well as Seneca College studying computer animation. After completion becoming represented by XEXE gallery in Toronto later known as KWT Contemporary. Oil paintings are collected internationally. In 2007 Bryn became interested in creating immersive environments in virtual reality spaces as a new media artist known as Bryn Oh. Since then Bryn’s work has featured in magazines such as Vogue magazine, in movies and in galleries and museums worldwide.

Impressions of “Lobby Cam” by Bryn Oh (3)

Bryn Oh’s Lobby Cam received a national arts grant from the Canada Council for the Arts which is special to her as her previous grants were from the Ontario Arts Council and this is her first nationally awarded grant. It is important for her career as an artist, but also it legitimizes virtual art in the minds of some curators from large institutions who are not familiar with Second Life. The grant supports the building of Lobby Cam in the virtual world of Second Life as well as building it in Unreal Engine (which is in progress for several more months). Lobby Cam has taken five months to build and all elements are created by Bryn Oh.

A really outstanding (art) experience in Second Life! Thank you Bryn.

Landmark to Bryn Oh’s “Lobby Cam”
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Immersivist/16/23/23
Promo “Lobby Cam” on youtube
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1rQrAv45d4c
Inara Pey’s blogpsot “Hand and the art of Bryn Oh in her own words”
https://modemworld.me/2020/04/27/hand-and-the-art-of-bryn-oh-in-her-own-words/
Landmark to “Hand” by Bryn Oh (gateway)
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Bryn%20Oh/44/211/22
Bryn Oh’s “Hand” on youtube
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TYPCB2N2U58
Landmark to “The Brittle Epoch” by Bryn Oh
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Immersiva/17/108/24
Bryn Oh’s blog
http://brynoh.blogspot.com/
Support Bryn Oh on Patreon
https://www.patreon.com/brynoh

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