Art in Second Life 2023 (9) Reflections by Maddy (Magda Schmidtzau) & Onceagain Art Gallery

I got an invitation to visit Maddy (Magda Schmidtzau)’s latest exhibition named “Reflections” at Onceagain Art Gallery. A good reason to visit Onceagain Art Gallery (once) again, as it is more than one year since I my last visit there (read Art in Second Life 2022 (2) Onceagain Art Gallery).

The landmark leads you to a small gazebo within a park. From there you walk through the park, cross the gate, turn left twice and walk a path upwards to reach the exhibition “Reflections” which is shown in kind of a cloistered court.

Impressions of “Reflections” by reflections by Maddy (Magda Schmidtzau) (1) – from the landing point to the exhibition

Onceagain (Manoji Yachvili) wrote about “Reflections”:
I’m really pleased to host in my gallery a delicate artist, who I discovered last year by chance when I won one of her works at an auction.
In life you don’t always need to look for deep meanings, sometimes beauty is enough to reconcile you with the world and Maddy with her works is what she manages to do.”

The exhibition consists of 11 pictures all showing woman, mainly portraits, in their beauty. Most of the pictures are monochrom (not all) and the women are all dressed beautiful and they wear flowers, ornaments, jewelery and other accessories underlining their beauty and attracting the spectator to look for details and to get pulled into the picture.

Impressions of “Reflections” by reflections by Maddy (Magda Schmidtzau) (2)

Maddy wrote: ““Reflections” is a journey of portraits that experiments with new ideas using A.I. technologies. The exhibit showcases photos created with Midjourney and Second Life Avatars, combined with the use of A.I. to create a melancholic and dark atmosphere that captures the essence of the subjects portrayed. The soft colors and blurs emphasize the intense emotions and intimacy of the portraits, inviting the viewer to immerse themselves in the images.”

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, 2020 and 2022 and at GenovArt Glass Gallery in May 2021 (read here). You can see more of her art at her flickr page.

Once at the gallery I took the teleporter, where I landed for my visit to “Reflections” and visited the Onceagain Art Gallery.

Impressions of Onceagain Art Gallery (1) – Two buildings / Two sculptures (Cherry Manga and Bryn Oh)

The place has changed quite a lot, the concept is still the same. In a large park are several buildings. The park and the buildings are full of Onceagain (Manoji Yachvili)’s art collection. In the park you find 3D art as well as inside of the buildings at windows or larger spaces. The buildings are galleries and feature the art of many artists.

Impressions of Onceagain Art Gallery (2)

I know and wrote about most of them, though I admit that there’re some, who I didn’t come across yet. The following list of artists is certainly not exhaustive, but it testifies to the size of the art collection and the many styles:
Moki Yuitza, Mihailsk Syros (mihailsk), June Langer, Kika Yongho, Eviana (eviana.robbiani), Maddy (Magda Schmidtzau), Milena Carbone (mylena1992), Filthy Fluno, Marina Münter (vivresavie), Melusina Parkin, CioTToLiNa Xue, Zia Branner, Maloe Vansant, ZYNTHEA, Mareea Farrasco, Celestial Demon (celestialdemon), Gully Rivers (gullyrivers), Karma Daxeline (Karma Weymann), Cad (cadwallader), Lika Cameo (LikaCameo), Scylla Rhiadra, Mara Telling, Frank Atisso, Cherry Manga, Harbor Galaxy, miu miu miu (miumiumiusecond), Therese Carfagno, Bryn Oh ….

Impressions of Onceagain Art Gallery (3)

onceagain (Manoji Yachvili) ist in Second Life since 2007. Manoji is Italian and lives and works in Tuscany, Italy. She “likes photography, art, landscapes, animals, visiting strange places, most of these things she also does in RL“. You find more of her also on her flickr account.

Thank you for showcasting so many artists in a great environment and for enabling Maddy (Magda Schmidtzau)’s exhibition “Reflections”.
And thank you Maddy for your art.
I enjoyed my visit.

Landmark to Onceagain Art Gallery and to Reflections by Maddy
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Peaceful%20Mountains/51/173/3502
Maddy (Magda Schmidtzau)’s flickr
https://www.flickr.com/photos/magdyne/
Onceagain (Manoji Yachvili)’s flickr
https://www.flickr.com/photos/69389809@N03/

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

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 2021 (13) “Figure and Form” by Harbor Galaxy

DixMix Source invited me to have a look at “Figure and form” by Harbor Galaxy, an exhibition that will be opened at DixMix Gallery with a party on Saturday February 6th at 1 PM SLT.

The exhibition is right now prepared on a platform, ready to be moved to its place at DixMix Gallery. What is missing right now in my pictures is the fitting ambiente for Harbor Galaxy’s pictures.

Harbor writes about “Figure and Form”:
In this series of little pictures I wanted to take a step back from the avatar as a personality and concentrate on the its’ figure in relationship to various forms, most of which were the simple building blocks we use here in Second Life and then build upon that relationship with color and light.

“Figure and Form” by Harbor Galaxy at DixMix Gallery (1)

Actually the figures are comparable small in comparison to the form. Habour uses both, females and males, and instinctively the view of the spectator is focused on the figure, trying to see more details, like clothes, shape and age. The form doesn’t prevent focusing on the figure as it is kept simple. The forms itself would be nice abstract art with the light effects and selected forms and colours, the figures itself would be to small with no particular feature – but together they interact.

I couldn’t find out much about Harbor Galaxy. She is in Second Life for 12 years. And 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.

“Figure and Form” by Harbor Galaxy at DixMix Gallery (2)

Thank you Dixmix for providing and curating the DixMix Gallery, thank you Megan for building it and for contributing at it. I enjoyed my visit. The exhibition “Figure and Form” by Harbor Galaxy opens today, Saturday February 6th at 1 PM SLT, and will stay open until March 19th.

Landmark to Dixmix Gallery 2020
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Madori%20Bay/46/213/22
DixMix Gallery website
https://www.dixmixgallery.xyz/
Harbor Galaxy Flickr
https://www.flickr.com/photos/harborgalaxy/