Art in Second Life 2022 (78) Limitations Are Self-Imposed by Regi Yifu

09 Sep 2022 1 Comment

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

I was up to visit an art installation on Thursday, September 8th. I looked up the Second Life Desitination Guide and choose Art -> Exhibits & Installation (check here) . From the list I picked “Limitations Are Self-Imposed” by Regi Yifu:
“GlastonBelli and Corsica South Coasters are delighted to introduce a colorful new art installation by Regi Yifu, entitled ‘Limitations Are Self-Imposed.‘ Artists-In-Residence are usually invited to keep their projects in the area for at least six months, so there is plenty of time to take in this visually engaging and interactive exhibit.”

Impressions of “Limitations Are Self-Imposed” by Regi Yifu (1)

When you land you are at the entrance to a real colourful forest. Actually it glows in all colours of the rainbow. You see some birds flying around and the background is colourful as well. At the entrance is a box with a couple of gifts and I got a folder names “Limitations are Self-Imposed gifts!”

Entering the installaion is an experience. Soon you are lost in all the different colours that also influence the appearance of your own avatar. As the installaion looks different from every point, viewing angle and zoom factor, every single picture you take is a piece of art itself, not reproducible and thus unique.

Impressions of “Limitations Are Self-Imposed” by Regi Yifu (2)

The fun comes with the gifts. There are 5 different attachments in the folder: “Bouncy Negative Squares, Rainbow Bouncer, Rainbow Shadow box, Solar Gather and Surreal“. Each attachment has a different effect. Surreal and Bouncy Negative Squares have the strongest effect in changing the impression. As the objects are attachted to your avatar, you avatar is in the center of it all, but in some cases hardly visible anymore. It is fun to try all attachments. You can even wear more than one but the second and third detach again after a while. Just try it out – it’s really fun on one side – and creates more unique pictures on the other side.

Impressions of “Limitations Are Self-Imposed” by Regi Yifu (3)

I had never heard about GlastonBelli and Corsica South Coasters. Both are part of the GTFO network: “The GlastonBelli CheddarWorx Railway System is a train network that tours the points of interest of GlastonBelli and its neighbors. Featured stops are The Drako Roller Coaster, GlastonBelli Pyramid, The Cheddar Man Caves and Corsica South Coast Airfield.“

The sim that hosts “Limitations Are Self-Imposed” by Regi Yifu is group owned by the group GlastonBelli, founder of the group is Cranston Yordstorm.

Impressions of “Limitations Are Self-Imposed” by Regi Yifu (4)

Regi Yifu is in Second Life since 2007. He’s a Coordinator for LL Second Life Endowment for the Arts (SLEA) and says about himself: “I am a gregarious bohemian artist from Texas! Here to have fun and meet cool people from all over the world! Love building stuff, making dance effects, and DJing! I also melt glass in my kiln and love to cook. Only boring people get bored!”
Regi Yifu makes customized gestures and costumized smoke, he has an own store inworld  and on the marketplace, he has a light gallery …. and he is a dj …. and loves to play with light!

Thank you Regi for this artful interactive installations, thank you all who enabled this installation. I enjoyed my visit.

Landmark to Limitations Are Self-Imposed by Regi Yifu
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Sevenfold/60/161/2801
Regi Yifu’s store Regimade Factory inworld
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/GAY%20ISLAND%20Lagoon/226/220/2001
Regi Yifu’s store Regimade Factory marketplace
https://marketplace.secondlife.com/stores/26852
Regi Yifu’s light gallery
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/GAY%20ISLAND%20Lagoon/37/19/3002

Art in Second Life 2022 (77) Michiel Bechir Gallery September 2022

06 Sep 2022 Leave a comment

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

I got an invitation from Michiel Bechir to see the latest exhibition at his “Michiel Bechir Gallery“, that had been opened on September 3rd, 2022. It features the art of Raisa Reimse (raisareimse), Vanessa Jane (vanessajane66) and Scylla Rhiadra. I hadn’t yet came across any of these three artists so far.

The gallery itself has been renewed. Michiel wrote: “The outside gallery, lobby and rooms have been redesigned by Maggie Runo, who has been recently added to our team (which consists of Tresore Prada (tresore), MsToya (Mstoya Bailey) and me)“

The main gallery building hasnt’ changed. On the ground floor are two exhibitions rooms, a third exhibition space is on the 2nd floor. I first visited Raisa Reimse’s exhibition.

Raisa takes her pictures in Second Life. I think that the pictures are a little bit processed to achieve perfectness. Raisa has an eye for the right view, for capturing the beauty of landscapes and nature in Second Life. She’s not restricted on landscape only though but also takes pictures of animals, art, portraits and even objects like a small plane in the skies.

Raisa is in Second Life since 2018. She has a flickr account, a store on the marketplace and she has her personal gallery “Raisa Reimse Photography“.

Vanessa Jane (vanessajane66) takes her raw pictures also in Second Life, yet she’s focused more on objects or strange buildings or fantasy places. Her artwork is broad and she also has beautiful landscapes as a motif. Vanessa also processes her pictures to give them the touch, the light and the expression she desires to see. Right along the window are 3 pictures in almost black and white, where colour is only used to hightlight an element.

Vanessa Jane (vanessajane66) is in Second Life since 2014, but she joined Sl with another avatar already in 2009. You can grab a biography in her exhibition room at the Michiel Bechir Gallery. Vanessa wrote about herself:
“2D and 3D Artist in SL. I have done various forms of Art and Crafts for many years in RL and have an Art degree.
In my SL 2D Art I strive for ‘painterly realism’ and have a passion for capturing the elusive light and life in a scene, which brings a unique atmosphere. I bring my real life training as an artist to my aesthetic sensibility in the images I create in SL. When I get the chance I also enjoy opportunities to do 3D art using tortured prims.
After a break from SL Art I am back mixing my SL photography with creating in a new medium, Digital Paintings using Rebelle 5 Pro. This is enabling me to paint as I would using real life media but also to play using the best that digital art packages can offer.“

Vanessa Jane (vanessajane66) has also a flickr acoout.
She has exhibited her artwork at many places and galleries already. A list of exhibitions can be found in the biography notecard as well as published reviews of them. In the Kultivate Magazine June 21 she gave an interview.

Scylla Rhiadra’s exhibition is on the second floor of Michiel Bechir Gallery. Her exhibition deals with shadows. Shadows can attract the eye of the spectator, it can lead the view to a certain detail or a shadow can hide a detail so that the spectator has to add it in mind according to imagination. The text at the entrance of the sxhibition expresses this perfectly: “No mystery so ompelling as that obscured by the dark”
All pictures are from 2022 and they are all titled. You find the title next to the pictures. The title gives you a hint about the artists thoughts.

Scylla Rhiadra is in Second Life since 2008. She’s from Canada and decribes ehrself in her profile as “Reborn oldster. Feminist activist, leftist, reasonably active forumite, retired SL bookseller, interested in literature, history, art, and people”
Scylla also has a flickr account.

Another great exhibition. Thank you Michiel and the whole team (Maggie Runo, Tresore Prada (tresore) and MsToya (Mstoya Bailey) for providing the space for the arts and many thanks to the artists of course. I enjoyed my visit.

Landmark to Michiel Bechir Gallery
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Embrace/30/228/2502
Raisa Reimse (raisareimse)’s flickr
https://www.flickr.com/photos/193534621@N03/
Raisa Reimse (raisareimse)’s store on the marketplace
https://marketplace.secondlife.com/stores/241744
Raisa Reimse (raisareimse)’s gallery “Raisa Reimse Photography”
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Triumphal/126/132/3401
Vanessa Jane (vanessajane66)’s flickr
https://www.flickr.com/photos/188095651@N07/?
Vanessa Jane (vanessajane66) Interview about her work in Kultivate Magazine June 21
https://issuu.com/kultivatemagazine/docs/kultivate_magazine_-_june2021
Scylla Rhiadra’s flickr
https://www.flickr.com/gp/144085527@N07/939jJ1

Art in Second Life 2022 (76) Ambre Singh’s Past Masters gallery

02 Sep 2022 Leave a comment

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

I got an invitation to see a new exhibition of Ambre Singh in her town gallery at Noir’Wen city: “Past Masters”. The invitation was quite well made. I was a HUD with quite some menu entries for landmarks also to her main gallery and to The Pink Dildo Museum, her biography, something about the exhibition and other links, like Ambre Singh’s own webpage, her store on the marketplace and her flickr page.

When I got the invitation I already had an idea what to expect as I have seen quite some of Ambre’s erotic and witty pictures. But let’s start with the text about the exhibition:

Look at the picture on the left. The original picture is also called “Prayer” and is be William Adolphe Bouguereau (1825 – 1905). There’s a little extra though – a pink dildo in the left hand of one of the nuns.

Ambre Singh’s town gallery at Noir’Wen City

Ambre Singh’s town gallery at Noir’Wen City extends over 3 floors and is really packed with pictures. I didn’t count them but there are about 30 – 40 pictures to see. Even a tourist is there and takes picture of the pictures.

All pictures are based on real paintings and for every picture Ambre provides the visitor with the information who painted the orginal and often where the original is exhibited (in RL). Ambre’s particular style and wit is that she sees what might be hidden in these (for most people of today) boring paintings – or what might be added to them to transfer them into today.
Each and every picture is fun – and most are quite explicit. I was in particular excited about “The Mesh Body Clinic”, how funny. Or look at the crashed Icarus, a painting Ambre named “The paracute didn’t work”.

Impressions of Ambre Singh’s Past Maters (1)

Ambre Singh is in Second Life for over 15 years. She writes about herself:
“‘It is your mind that creates this world’, said Buddha.
All you do in SL will subtlely change you and others in all worlds. So in my life and art, I thrive to add my spice, beauty and love.
I photograph people of character in beautiful places of SL or in studio. Sometimes, I create thematic images in SL, or I mix worlds… If the harvest is good, I make an exhibition.
Colorful or discrete, tender or erotic, my photos try to express the life and the soul of the people and places.“

Impressions of Ambre Singh’s Past Maters (2)

I had fun visiting Ambre Singh town gallery Noir’Wen with her private collection of “Past Masters” and to get the real gist behind the classic paintings. Enjoy your visit yourself.

Landmark to Ambre Singh town gallery Noir’Wen
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Noir%20Wen/205/237/32
Landmark to Ambre Singh Main Gallery
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Noir%20Wen/47/126/3522
Ambre Singh’s flckr
https://www.flickr.com/photos/ambre-singh/
Ambre Singh Marketplace
https://marketplace.secondlife.com/stores/217888
Ambre Singh website
https://ambresingh.ch/

Art in Second Life 2022 (75) La Maison d’Aneli September 2022

31 Aug 2022 Leave a comment

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

Aneli Abeyante invited me early to see the new exhibition at La Maison d’Aneli. The opening event will take place tonight, Wednesday, August 31st, 12.30 PM SLT / 9.30 PM CET. The exhibition features the art from tutsy Navarathna and from Violaine (Anadonne). I visited on August 22nd.

I first saw Violaine (Anadonne)’s art. Her skybox at La Maison d’Aneli is a classic gallery in Second Life – a squared room with the pictures presented at all for walls. Violaine wrote about her exhibition, that she called “Sunday in Space” and her art:
“As you can see, all pictures have in some way or other, some more than others, something to do with the vast space that surrounds us, filled with stars, planets, moons, gas clouds, et cetera. It’s been a lifelong fascination of mine, and I hope some of that will show in my pictures”
Violaine is in Second Life since 2016. So far I saw her artwork only at La Maison d’Aneli. She contributed in November 2018 (read here) and in January 2020 (read here). When I saw her art again at La Maison d’Aneli in April 2021 (read here) I wrote: “The more I see of her art, the more familiar I get with her style and the more her pictures, in particluar those showing humans and part of humans, become intriguing.”
“Sunday in Space” is not fitting into what I saw before from her. The pictures seen to be made with watercolours. Most are abstract and yes I can recognize a relation to space as you recognize stars, the sun and maps from a far distance. They have a naive touch with the smiling sun. I like the way Violaine uses colours and the longer you look at the pictures the more you often see in them.

Impressions of “Sunday in Space” by Violaine (Anadonne) at La Maison d’Aneli in Spetember 2022

The other artist featured at La Maison d’Aneli is tutsy Navarathna, who named his part “Greek Mythology, Surrealism and Science fiction”
“Pillar of teachings and imagination, Greek mythology generated for centuries a permanent cross between literature, poetry, music, painting, photography or films which told the delirious adventures of the gods. The metamorphoses of Zeus to flirt with nymphs without getting caught by Hera, his terrible wife! Chronos who eats his children, Icarus whose wings are on fire, the Medusa who kills with a single glance, Eros Thanatos and so many others. Their disputes, their anger, their jealousies, their loves!
They all spawned the greatest delusions of surrealism and science fiction.
Perfect continuity for an encounter with our next gods! AIs!“

Impressions of “Greek Mythology, Surrealism and Science fiction” by tutsy Navarathna at La Maison d’Aneli in Spetember 2022 (1)

The skybox of tutsy is made up like a greek temple with pillars. On one side you see pictures of the ancient Greek gods and the stories related to them. On the other side are picture from other worlds, science fiction. And the two are connected with a few surreal pictures. After all a fitting combination if you think of it. In the center of the temple is what you might connect with Artificial Intelligance, clouds of lights, pixels and data points, hard to grab, yet powerful – the new gods as tutsy wrote.

Impressions of “Greek Mythology, Surrealism and Science fiction” by tutsy Navarathna at La Maison d’Aneli in Spetember 2022 (2)

Tutsy Navarathna is also an artist that I didn’t come across often so far. I saw 2 of his pictures at the exhibtion “Soulportraits at Itakos Art Gallery in 2021 (read here) and I saw her installation “Get drunk!” at La Maison d’Aneli in May 2021, that be made together with Eupalinos Ugajin (read here).
Tutsy is in Second Life since 2008. He likes to produce machinimas and has an own youtube channel. And there’s also a flickr page.

For the opening event on August 31st, the music will be provided by “Les Chats Furieux”. There will be a light show and it promises to be a great show. vroum Short, who I know for her light effects, did at least contribute to the seperate skybox for the opening event as far as I could find out during my visit. It might be a show you don’t want to miss.

Les Chats Furieux with a new light show on August 31st at La Maison D’Aneli (1:30 pm slt)

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.”
Thank you for another great joined exhibtion, Aneli. As always I enjoyed my visit and writing about it. I hope that the opening event will be a great success.

Landmark to La Maison d’Aneli
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Virtual%20Holland/23/71/22
Tutsy Navarathna’s flickr:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/tutsy-navarathna/with/42510577194/
Tutsy Navarathna youtube channel
http://www.youtube.com/user/TutsyNavarathna

Art in Second Life 2022 (74) Metamorphoses by Milena Carbone

29 Aug 2022 Leave a comment

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

Today, Monday, August 29th, Milena Carbone opens a new exhibtion named “Metamorphoses” at her own gallery, The Carbone Studio. The opening event is today at 12:30 PM SLT (8.30 PM Central Europe Time)

Milena decribes “Metamorphoses” as a journey into art. The exhibition consists of 24 pictures, showcased over 2 floors. All pictures were created with an Artificial Intelligence robot named “Midjourney”. Milena had a dialogue with the Midjourney bot on Discord, providing pictures, which she made in Second Life, to the robot, and asking the robot for it’s own interpretations of her artwork: “Then, according to its answers, I adjusted instinctively by asking it for new variants or by giving new parameters. The feeling of “happy awkwardness” that always marks a creative process was multiplied here.”

Impressions of “Metamorphoses” by Milena Carbone (1)

On Milena’s website you find a snapshot of the dialogue with the robot (see the picture above). On the floor you reach with the landmark are 6 pictures. Each of them is a result of the work with the robot. And for each picture Milena provided the orginal picture from where the robot started to change the picture in a dialogue with Milena. On the lower floor are the other 18 pictures. Each room shows different results based on the same original picture.

“So this is my first collective exhibition with a deep dreamer. The result is a metamorphosis of my creations in SL. A change of state. A flight into a more complex world. The startling revelation of hidden meanings and emotions behind my own work
I realized, through this experience that Midjourney is neither an artist nor a machine. It is a mirror.“

Impressions of “Metamorphoses” by Milena Carbone (2)

The results are really surprising and artful. And as the robot based it all on Milena’s pictures and made it’s iterations based on Milena’s input, Milena was still the owner of the process, it is still her art work – and it is intriguing!

For Milena AI opens up a new world – “Metacreation”: “This is only the beginning of the journey, the first awkward steps of a newborn baby. If the climate drifts and the wars we are all collectively responsible for do not cut it short, it seems to me that what is happening here is as important as the invention of language and writing, which allowed the appearance of multiple art forms. It is a meta-writing, a meta-creation, with huge consequences on the world of art which nobody can measure yet.”
You can put it shorter – AI is a game changer also for the arts.

Impressions of “Metamorphoses” by Milena Carbone (3)

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, very inspiring what you created!

Landmark to The Carbone Studio – and to Metamorphoses
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Woiler/176/163/3287
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 Carbone’s flickr
https://www.flickr.com/photos/milenacarbone/
Milena Carbone’s writing
https://medium.com/@539568

Art in Second Life 2022 (73) “New Day” by Bamboo Barnes

19 Aug 2022 Leave a comment

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

Bamboo Barnes is going to open a new exhibition at The Hannington Arts Foundation today, on August 19th, 12 pm slt (9 pm CET).

I visited on August 15th. Bamboo added these thoughts to her exhibition called “New Day“:

A slithering, damp darkness.
A blood stained rainbow, shed by a stagnant sky.
When was the last time you cried,
covering the scars that linger in your heart.
Yesterday’s tears and a new day’s embrace
on outstretched fingers.

When I think of Bamboo Barnes, I immediately think of colours, of colourful pictures, of a feast of colours. All exhibitions that I saw from her were colourful – and so is “New Day”

All of the exhibited pictures show females, mostly female faces. But the faces are often blurry and other elements cover them, layers of colour, simple lines, geometric patterns. You have to focus to see the face clearly itself, if you can at all. There are two pictures where Bamboo just choose a different set of colours for the same picture – and of course it looks different.

Some pictures express pain, misery and worries. The colour red is often used to express that – as are bright and happy colours like yellow express a new beginning, a new day. A new day is always positive. It has the mystery of a new beginning, a fresh start, leaving yesterday behind us – not to make it forgotten but to embrace the mystic that is in all beginnings.

I see this positive energy in the yellow picture, that is right where you land next to the notecard giver. The picture is called “Too long 2022” and shows a female face bathed in yellow on the left very blurred with several several layers and on the right more clearer, as if the sun had cleared it up.
The picture used for the exhibition poster is called “Solace 2”. Solace is what you need when you grieve. Solace shall help you to gather the energy to start a new day. Hence this picture is kind of both considering Bamboo’s thoughts about “New Day“.

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). Last December I saw her exhibition “The path” at Art care gallery (read here) and this year “Metaphysics” at the Kondar Art Center, (read here) and Colores Primarios (read here) – wow, quite a list in the meanwhile!
Look also at Bamboo’s flickr page.

When I visited “New Day” on August 15th the exhibition space was not yet finished. I visited again, Thursday, August 18th. Kerupa Flow added 3D art objects to the exbibition, that fit well into the theme. They are named “Birth place”, “Fetal Movement” and “I’ll be sure to find you” – so the theme “New Day” is accompanied by “New Life”. The 3D objects are not completely static. In “Fetal Movement” one part is appearing and vanishing, “Birth place” and “I’ll be sure to find you” look different from every angle and have light effects to liven up the objects.

Kerupa Flow’s 3D art objects at “New Day” by Bamboo Barnes

Kerupa Flow is a 2D&3D artist from Japan and in Second Life since 2007: “After all, there live the same person both SL and outside SL, so even if the tools changed, you can have the same scent.“.
Kerupa has a permanet place “Kerupa’s World” at Akimori. For more information and current exhibitions look up Kerupa’s profile or grab a notecard.

At the opening event hEIN (heinrichmader) will be 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.

I enjoyed my visit.

Hannington Arts Foundation (HAF) is owned by Hannington Xeltentat. Thank you Hannington for providing the space for the art and for enabling “New Day” by Bamnoo Barnes. Thank you for your art, Bamboo.

Landmark to “New Day” by Bamboo Barnes at Hannington Arts Foundation (HAF)
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Xeltentat%20Enterprises/121/127/3427
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
Kerupa Flow’s World at Akimori
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Akimori/55/129/4000

Art in Second Life (73) “Noir Vibrations” by Noir Tater

15 Aug 2022 Leave a comment

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

Dido Haas invited me to the opening of another new exhibition at her Nitroglobus Roof Gallery. The new exhibtion “Noir Vibrations” by Noir Tater is showcased in the annex to the gallery, that is usually used to display Dido Haas’ own artwork. The opening shall take place today, August 15th at 12 PM (9 PM Central Europe Time). At the Nitroglobus Roof Gallery the exhibition “Invisible Cities – Fighting Women” by Debora Kaz (read here) is still ongoing until end of August.
I will be busy with my SL family and hence can’t attend the opening of “Noir Vibrations” by Noir Tate. The opening event starts with a contemporary dance “Silent Love” performed by and specially created for this exhibition by Milena Carbone (mylena1992). Noir Tater will be the DJ and spin the tunes, Venus Adored will add enchanting particles.

I visited the exhibition on Friday, August,12h. As in the main gallery space, the floor in Dido’s annex has also the mirroring effet. “Noir Vibrations” consists of 14 pictures. The exibition space is augmented with 3D sculptures and with balls and light effects by Adwehe. All pictures have a neutral brown/grey background and show a person, who might be in most cases a male.

Noir Tater wrote about “Noir Vibrations”:
‘Choosing to be this or that is to affirm at the same time the value of what we choose, because we can never choose evil, what we choose is always good, and nothing can be good for us if it is not good for everyone. ‘
Jean Paul Sartre

My need to be free in all aspects dominates, anguishes and suffocates me.
Vibration Noir is my daily struggle to be what I am and who I am.

And Dido Haas wrote:
“Noir is an interesting figure, who struggles with gender identity. Well this is not unique and for sure not unique in SL. In Noir’s photography them presents themselve most of the time as male and also in this exhibition it’s the unique awesome looking male Noir we can admire. ”

Impressions of “Noir Vibrations” by Noir Tater at Dido’s annex of the Nitroglobus Roof Gallery (1)

The pictures are intriguing. As opposed to Dido, I did not recognize a male in all pictures, some show just hands and feet and parts of a body. In many pictures the body looks like vibrating. The effect is emphasized by choosing different colours for the vibrating part of the body. Another style element, that Noir is using, are cut-outs that are placed almost like non-fitting puzzle pieces into the body. You can see the struggle and the emotions as if it isn’t clear how the pieces will fit together and what the body might look like when finished. These two artistic elements used in different strengths and combinations and make Noir’s art unique.

You can grab a notecard with Noir’s biography at the exhibition:
“My name is Francesca, formerly known in Second Life as Noah and now my name is Noir Tater …. It was through my friendship with Debora Kaz that I … started to explore photography. By using photography I found a way to express myself, so others are able to understand me better …… I am a woman going through duality about my gender. Here in SL I can show both my sides: female and male through my images with all my anguish about these feelings.”

Noir is in Second Life since 2016. You can see more of Noir’s art on Noir’s flickr acount.

Impressions of “Noir Vibrations” by Noir Tater at Dido’s annex of the Nitroglobus Roof Gallery (2)

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 “Noir Vibrations” by Noir Tater. Thank you Noir for your art, and thanks also to Adwehe for the light effects.

“Noir Vibrations” shall stay open for about one month at the Annex of Nitroglobus Roof Gallery. For a limited time until end of August you can see the exhibitions “Invisible Cities – Fighting Women” by Debora Kaz and “Noir Vibrations” by Noir Tater” within one visit.

Landmark to the Annex of Nitroglobus (and to “Noir Vinrations”)
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Sunshine%20Homestead/166/41/1001 
Landmark to Nitroglobus Roof Gallery (main gallery)
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Sunshine%20Homestead/38/22/1001
Noir Tater’s flickr
https://www.flickr.com/photos/essenciall-harad/
Dido Haas’ blog
https://exploringslwithdido.blogspot.com

Art in Second Life 2022 (72) “Invisible Cities – Fighting Women” by Debora Kaz

01 Aug 2022 1 Comment

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

Dido Haas invited me to the opening of the August exhibition at Nitroglobus Roof Gallery. today, August 1st at 12 PM (9 PM Central Europe Time). I will be busy with my SL family and hence can’t attend. The exhibition is titeled “Invisible Cities – Fighting Women”, the artist is Debora Kaz (deborakaz), who is new for me. The opening event starts with a contemporary ballet “Demotions” performed by and specially created for this exhibition by Milena Carbone (mylena1992).

I visited the exhibition on Friday, July 29th. The exhibition space with it’s mirroring floor is quite full this time. The exhibition consists of 14 pictures, 6 3D sculpture installations and 1 video screen. The whole exhibition is held in dark purple and violet tones. All the objects and semitranparent frames together with the light effects set by Adwehe provide an outstanding art experience.

Debora Kaz (deborakaz) wrote about her exhibition:
“The fight against violence against women practiced by women is the theme of this exhibition. The predominance of the hot pink color in the installation represents this struggle, as well as hot pink is also the color indicating female empowerment i.e. the potency of women.
This installation also brings a mix of colors in a chaotic and disorganized way, to represent female emotions and unconscious conflicts.
Invisible cities are present in the composition of the works, giving them an imaginary physical space.
The structures and lines suggest a non-Cartesian timeline inserted in a space

‘Invisible Cities – Fighting Women’ wants to show the pain and difficulty of being a woman in a world where women historically were portrayed as objects of desire, exposed to consumption, which induced rivalry resulting in us women not having a real union to fight the violence that is directed at us..“

That sounds complex and it is complex.

Impressions of “Invisible Cities – Fighting Women” by Debora Kaz @ Nitroglobus Roof Gallery (1)

For me the colour purple/violet still stands for the women rights and equality movement in the outgoing 1970ies and in the 1980ies. I remember wearing a purple overall, real fashion at that time.
As I wrote above the exhibition is complex. The pictures are all made up of several layers, so that the spectator has to decide where to focus first. But looking at them for a while you recognize more and more details. Debora works with lines und geometric forms as well, thus generating urban spaces in some of her pictures. You can see the fight and struggle in many pictures. The 6 3D sculptures show one or two (fighting) women in a more red colour. The scuptures are surrounded by semi-transparent frames and pictures, thus providing unique views together with the pictures at the walls. I am a fan of this kind of art, as every picture you take is unique as well depending on light, view angle and distance.

Impressions of “Invisible Cities – Fighting Women” by Debora Kaz @ Nitroglobus Roof Gallery (2)

On the video screen a youtube video is showcased. It is named “fighting women”, yet for me it shows 2 dancing women with a stylised city in the background. Also have a look at the text that is shown at one of the walls next to the pictures. Debora wrote a text addressed to all women that fits to the exhibition and gives you some background information for the exhibition.

Impressions of “Invisible Cities – Fighting Women” by Debora Kaz @ Nitroglobus Roof Gallery (3)

Debora Kaz (deborakaz) is a digital artist from Brazil (if I figured it our corectly). She’s in Second Life since February 2012 and discovered its opportunities for creativity. She writes in the accompanying notecard: “Exactly 9 years ago I became interested in the language of wireframe, the lines, the structures and the voids they provide. When making wireframe images it is as if you can make the invisible visible. It’s as if I could reveal something that hides inside our structures, our feelings, emotions and maybe reflects on some subjects.” Just a few months ago she began to exhibit her artwork.
Debora has a flickr page, a facebook account and a youtube channel.

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 “Invisible Cities – Fighting Women” by Debora Kaz. Thank you Debora for your art, and thanks also to Adwehe for the light effects and to David Silence for creating the exhibition poster for “Invisible Cities – Fighting Women”.
“Invisible Cities – Fighting Women” is the August exhibition at  Nitroglobus Roof Gallery and hence shall be open until end of August 2022.

Landmark to Nitroglobus Roof Gallery
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Sunshine%20Homestead/38/22/1001
Debora Kaz (deborakaz) flickr
https://www.flickr.com/photos/deborakaz
Debora Kaz (deborakaz) on facebook
https://www.facebook.com/debora.kaz
Debora Kaz (deborakaz) on youtube
https://www.youtube.com/c/deboraKaz
Dido Haas’ blog
https://exploringslwithdido.blogspot.com

Art in Secon Life 2022 (71) Harbor Galaxy´s “looking back retrospective” at DixMix Gallery Lounge

31 Jul 2022 1 Comment

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

Violet Boa reminded me of an ongoing exhibition at DixMix Gallery Longue – Harbor Galaxy´s “looking back retrospective“. Actually Habor Galaxy’s retropective is shown in 4 thematic exhibtions “Graphic, Painting, Surreal and Sensual”. On Saturday, July 23rd, the second part with the theme “Painting” has been opened.

I came across Harbor Galaxy twice so far. I visited “Figure and Form” by Harbor Galaxy” at the DixMix Gallery in February 2021 (read here) and I saw her exhibition “The privilege af aging” The Carbone Gallery (read here)

The current retrospective exhibition at DixMix Gallery Lounge compromises 14 paintings of Harbor Galaxy. I recommend that you hover with your mouse over the pictures to see the titles. Violet sent me a description by Habor Galaxy for the painting “There is a crack in everything. That´s how the lights gets in”:
“This piece came about as I was taking pictures of various characters on my platform. I loved with the way the light fell on this mature characters’ face and body. The style of the piece was part of a process I had begun playing around with for some time using a blurring tool to push pixels around to hopefully focusing the viewer on the light..and it was during this process that her hand was revealed. The title of the piece just fell into place once her hand touched the light.“

Impressions of Harbor Galaxy´s “looking back retrospective – Paintings” at DixMix Gallery Lounge (1)
the painting on the right is named “There is a crack in everything…”, the painting on the left is named “Confined”

Harbor plays with a lot with light and with blurring in her paintings. Her theme are females and the female body (at least in the current exhibition). Her pictures always carry a lot of emotions too. A good example the the painting “Confined”

Impressions of Harbor Galaxy´s “looking back retrospective – Paintings” at DixMix Gallery Lounge (2)

Habor is not fixed on one theme or colour. The broad variety of her artwork can also be seen in this one theme “Paintings” as they range from very colourful and detailed to a series of three blue and blurry paintings.

Harbor Galaxy is in Second Life since December 2008. She has a flickr page where I found a short description about her: “Just a pixel dolly exploring my creative side in SL. I don’t generally talk too much about my process primarily because it frequently seems kind of like a happy accident but in my work, I attempt to merge photography and digital painting. I take pictures using screen shots and then edit and manipulate the images in GIMP; frequently using distortion and color to invoke an emotional response from viewer.“

For more information about Harbor Galaxy read Violet Boa’s interview with her, that was published March 17th, 2021 on virtuality blog.

The exhibition Harbor Galaxy´s “looking back retrospective” – “Paintings” will stay until August 12th before the 3rd part is shown.
Thank you Dixmix for providing and curating the Dixmix Gallery Lounge. 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.
Thank you for your art, Harbor, I enjoyed my visit.

Landmark to DixMix Gallery Lounge
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Lawaii%20Myst/31/202/2254
Harbor Galaxy Flickr
https://www.flickr.com/photos/harborgalaxy/
Violet Boa’s interview with Harbor Galaxy in virtuality blog
https://www.virtuality.blog/interview-with-harbor-galaxy/

Art in Second Life 2022 (70) “Dinosaurs and coconuts” by Cica Ghost

30 Jul 2022 Leave a comment

by diomitamaurer in Art in Second Life Tags: , ,

Friday, July 29th, Cica Ghost opened another new installation named “Dinosaurs and coconuts“. The thought Cica provides with the landmark description is a quote from Dalai Lama: “Once a year, go somewhere you have never been before.”

 

As usual with Cica’s installation you shall use shared environment. You will get reminded upon landing. I also set advanced lighting and activated shadows from sun/moon and projectors. The environment settings are part of Cica’s art. For “Dinosaurs and coconuts” she selected a green-brown-yellow hazy environment and a light blue sky. The ground is either sand, grass or made of tree trunks. I recommend to also turn ambient sound on.

Impressions of “Dinosaurs and coconuts” by Cica Ghost (1) – at the landing

After her last installation “Somewhere” (read here) Cica returned to creating a happy place again. With that title I had assumed it. What’s it about? Yes, it is about dinosaurs and coconuts. The dinosaurs live and a group of smaller islands, that are connected by bridges. You can walk over these bridges easily. There are different buildings, all in the typical Cica style. Most are buildings are on poles so that they are high enough and no coconut falls on them, others are on wheels.

Impressions of “Dinosaurs and coconuts” by Cica Ghost (2) – Dio dancing (lower left) and on the seesaw (lower right)

If you have visited one of Cica’s installations before you know that she offers places to sit, places to dance (there’s a sign “dance”) and places to have fun. Simply hoover with your mouse over objects to find this fun. I sat down on a seesaw, I danced and I tried out several seats.

Impressions of “Dinosaurs and coconuts” by Cica Ghost (3)

What is different this time is that Cica didn’t have to make her animals outstanding tall, dinosaurs were quite tall and impressive beings. This time the human avatar is comparably small because the animal were that tall! They ate plants and Cica’s dinosaurs are peaceful beings. They follow you with their yes, but they stay were they are.

Then there is the noise of falling coconuts. The cocnut trees are tall and the falling coconuts are quite big. You wouldn’t want them falling on your head – jesus. And luckily the cocnuts vanish after falling on the ground, otherwise the island would be filled with coconuts very quickly. I looked out for Cica’s cat as she often hides one (for me?). Cica was present during my visit and she told me that I don’t have to search a cat as she didn’t rezz one this time.

Impressions of “Dinosaurs and coconuts” by Cica Ghost (4) – Dio and Cica (lower left)

This time Cica also placed a shop on her sim again where you can buy all the different dinosaurs if you want one for your garden in Second Life. It is fun to explore Cica’s “Dinosaurs and coconuts“, to see the different dinosaurs, to watch them, to walk around them. It is fun to dance or sit and to let your thoughts wander. It is fun to be in another world, at a place that is new, particular, and also some two hundred something million of years gone – “Once a year, go somewhere you have never been before.”

Impressions of “Dinosaurs and coconuts” by Cica Ghost (5)

Thank you for another great installation, Cica, it made me smile once again and distracted me. I was somewhere else. As always, don’t wait to long with your visit to “Dinosaurs and coconuts“, you never know how long it may stay – it is a temporary world.

Landmark to “Dinosaurs and coconuts” by Cica Ghost
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Reflections/131/135/27
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/

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