Art in Second Life 2021 (52) Golden by Paola Mills

11 Jun 2021 Leave a comment

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

I was invited to see the latest exhibition at Itakos Art Gallery. The exhibition is named “Golden” and is shown in the BLACK Pavillion. “Golden” is an exhibtion of around 30 pictures by Paola Mills. It extends over 2 floors.

I came across Paola Mills just lately again when I visited the GenovArt Glass Gallery (read here).
Paola Mills joined Second Life in 2007. For her it became a niche of creativity.
Paola writes about her work:
“I’m not a professional photographer in RL, but I do like to make pictures when I see something I like, for instance a person or a situation. That’s why I always carry a small camera with me in my bag.
Second Life has allowed me to develop, without the need for powerful means, my emotionalism: i.e. catch the moment of a specific feeling into simple shots; stills that stop time for a few seconds.“

Examples of “Golden” by Paola Mills at Itakos Art Gallery (1)

“Unlike many artists in the Metaverse my photos are handicraft, as I use minimum graphic editing software. This is not by choice but by inability to use them. Had I more time RL, I could learn, but unfortunately I don’t.
I look upon myself as an end user of Second Life, taking advantage of the ability of creators who know how to give reality to the bodies of the avatars and those who know how to give motion by the use of poses. I merged these two aspects, a study of body language of a human body.
I hope that my photographs can be a stimulus of irony, emotions and feelings and that these photographs go beyond a Simple observation of the photograph itself.“

I don’t know why Paola choose the “Golden” for her exhibition at Itakos Art Gallery. There’re golden 3D art objects on the ground floor of the exhibtion, that might have inspired the name. I like the subtitle “A journey into the art of a dreamer” way more as it fits to the showcased pictures. On the ground floor you see pictures that are more related to short dreams, just as when you close your eyes, releax and think of someone or something. I like in particular the 2 pictures showing a female stretched eagled in one pictures with endless fields in the background (I think I know the place where it was taken) and in the other at a beach with a lighthouse as background.

Examples of “Golden” by Paola Mills at Itakos Art Gallery (2)

The pictures on the second floor are mostly more fantasy related, as it happens when you dream, some are sci-fi related, some are surreal and some others I can’t categorize, but all of them are intriguing and invite the spectator to immerse deeper into the captured moment or situation.

The Itakos Art Gallery is owned and curated by Akim Alonzo. Thank you Akim for enabling “Golden” by Paola Mills. I enjoyed my visit and I enjoyed Paola Mills’ art, thank you.
“Golden” by Paola Mills in the BLACK Pavillion at Itakos Art Gallery should be open for visitors at least until end of June.

Landmark to Itakos Art Gallery BLACK Pavilion
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/ATL/183/171/1009
The Itakos Project and Art Gallery website
http://itakos.it/
Golden by Paola Mills promo video
http://itakos.it/video/GoldenPromo.mp4

Art in Second Life 2021 (49) GenovArt Glass Gallery – May/June 2021

02 Jun 2021 Leave a comment

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

I got an invitation for the opening of a new gallery in the skies above Genova City – GenovArt Glass Gallery. Actually there are two galleries. The Glass Gallery and the B&W Gallery, which is still under contruction. Both exhibition spaces are humongous. The exhibtion at the Glass Gallery feature of the art of Lita Menges, Paola Mills, Fiona Saiman and Maddy (Magda Schmidtzau), four female artists from Italy.

The Glass Gallery has two floors. On the ground floor is the exhibition of Lita Menges and Maddy (Magda Schmidtzau), on the 2nd floor is the exhibition of Paola Mills and Fiona Saiman.
Lita Menges’ photos are characterized by dark tones and surreal scenarios. Lita is in Second Life since 2007 and was immediately by the magical world and creative potential of this virtual world.


Lita writes: “For the vast majority of people SL is a place where they can express segments of themselves that most likely would not find space in RL. Second Life is a “container” in which we are what we would like to be in rl, or just a part of it. You can find a thousand ways to express that part of yourself that you decide to bring in sl. I chose to take pictures. For me, taking pictures on sl represents a phalanx, a natural extension of me, the most natural way to communicate what I feel.”
Lita Menges has a flickr account and a blog.

Maddy (Magda Schmidtzau) is in Second Life since 2009. She’s passionate about photography in RL and uses Secod Life to experiment and to try out new things. She writes: “Trying to convey the magic I see. A world of maximum expressive freedom where my mind frees itself from being reality by entering into a perennial game of inventions….. Magda has fun, she plays and createsa wonderful world that makes the impossible possible.“

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).

You can see more of her art at her flickr page.

Paola Mills joined Second Life in 2007. For her it became a nice of creativity.
Paola writes about her work: “I am not a professional photographer in RL, but I like to take pictures when I see something I like, a person or a situation, which is why I always carry a small camera in my bag. Second Life allowed me to develop, without the need for powerful means, my emotionality, freezing the moment of a feeling in simple shots that stop for a moment of my time.


I think I am an end user of Second Life by exploiting the ability of creators who know how to give reality to the bodies of the avatars and who know how to give movement to the avatar with the use of animations.
My work combines these two aspects, the care of the avatar as a human body, and the study of body language.“

Fiona Saiman arrived in Second Life back in 2006 and immediately got seduced by the possibility of taking photos: “I started experimenting and learning snapshot effects, but I only used the tools SL was offering and could create thrilling images. But discovering Wireframes (Control + shift + R) it has been my greatest passion; a type of photo a little different from the usual, the simplicity of using a keyboard shortcut to get the magic of a spider web hidden behind everything and everyone inworld.
Playing around with keyboard shortcuts to take things off or add elements to make those charming lines stand out in my view.“

The exhibition at the Glass Gallery is about “Windows… the eyes of the world on us, observe or be observed by other? Hiding or getting naked“.

“This time I decided to propose myself in a different way. After all, experimenting is always an enrichment of one’s being and then, loving the challenges, this time I put my face and even my body on it. Why is this woman always and often near the window? you would ask yourself. The window is a metaphor of the gaze, of the point of view that you have on the world and that the world has on us. To watch or to be seen? This is the dilemma.”

Fiona Saiman has a flickr account and a blog.

I enjoyed my first visit to the Glass Gallery. Many thanks to the initiators of this gallery. And many thanks to the 4 participating Italian artists!

Landmark to Glass Gallery
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Nabru%20City/57/117/2053
Lita Menges flickr:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/litamenges/
Lita Menges blog:
https://tumbletherabbithole.blogspot.com/
Fiona Saiman’s flickr
https://www.flickr.com/photos/161929461@N04/
Fiona Saiman’s blog
https://straylife.altervista.org
Maddy (Magda Schmidtzau)’s flickr
https://www.flickr.com/photos/magdyne/

Art in Second Life 2021 (1) Hidden Beauty – Group exhibition at DixMix Gallery

03 Jan 2021 2 Comments

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

On Saturday, December 19th, 2020 a group exhibtion was opened at DixMix Gallery.

Hidden Beauty – Group exhibition at DixMix Gallery

The exhibition compromises ten pictures of ten artists, namely: Randonee Noel, Syn Huntress, Del May, Paola Mills, Wicca Merlin, Talloulah Warra, Megan Prumier, Amber Wild, Maloe Vansant and DixMix Source.
Some of these artists have benn covered already in this blog and I can recognize their style. Although ten artists have contributed there’s a common theme – Hidden Beauty.

Hidden Beauty – Group exhibition at DixMix Gallery: Randonee Noel – Darker Facets / Maloe Vansant – Habibi / DixMix Source – Syra No

Beauty might be hidden behind a veil, a mask (quite common in this day and age) or by hands. In either case the full beauty can still be recognized.

Hidden Beauty – Group exhibition at DixMix Gallery: Megan Prumier – Expectation / Del May – Tunnel

But beauty may also be the body of a pregnant woman and the really hidden baby, it might be the toddler, it might even be hidden behind a fantasy being made of steel and biological material. The exhibition radiates the power of beauty from ten different perspectives.

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 Group exhibition “Hidden Beauty” will stay open until

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

Art in Second Life 2020 (52) Itakos Art Gallery – 2020 Summer Collection

18 Aug 2020 Leave a comment

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

Since July 30th, the Itakos Art Gallery presents the “2020 Summer Collection” with a collective of talented artists selected from the Soul Portraits – Itakos Flickr group. In total there’re 33 photos with 15 different flavors and style. The exhibtion is in the Black Pavillion.
The featured artists are: Angelika Corral, ARnnO PLAneR, Aver Osk, Caly Applewhyte, ChimKami, David Silence, Joy De’Leon, Moonedembaum, Naiike Pani, Ooxooi, Paola Mills, Poupée Anna, Roberta Barineaux, Tralala Loordes, and Vallys Baxter.

Exhibition poster of Itakos Art Gallery – 2020 Summer Collection

Avatars in Second Life don’t grow old, something most of us do appreciate. Actually all stay between 20 and 30 years old, all have beautiful faces with no wrinkles and many have perfect bodies. What differs is the the haircut, some facial details be it the eyes, the eybrows, the length of the nose, the form of the mouth and chin and yes also the body. But still, most look beautiful and young.

Itakos Art Gallery – 2020 Summer Collection: Naike Pani, Angelika Corral, Paola Mills

That said, portraits taken in Second Life show beautiful people. And we like looking into and at beautiful faces. Hence many pictures (also my own) taken in Second Life are portraits or close-up’s. Akim founded a flickr group for portraits named “Soul Portraits – Itakos Art Gallery“, where people can contribute their best portrait pictures. In the meanwhile there’re almost 400 members in this group and over 7.700 (!) pictures had been uploaded.
There are certain rules:
– The focus is on expression and emotions transmitted by avatars and photographers.
– The group has a partnership with the Itakos Art Gallery in Second Life.
– The raw pictures have to be taken in Second Life
– The pictures may not be just a pure (raw) snapshot. As opposed to the photos must be elaborated and interpretated by the artist.
– The pictures are evaluated and accepted in the group at the discretion of group admin.

Itakos Art Gallery – 2020 Summer Collection: Tralala Loordes, Vallys Baxter

The “2020 Summer Collection” shows a very small selection of the 7.700 pictures of the group. All 33 pictures prove that people in Second Life are beautiful. But they also prove that you can make your face and avatar look very individual. The portraits also tell a story by the background, by the facial expression, the viewing angle, by the light choosen, the hair style, the view, the jewelery and by the way the protrait is presented. You can loose yourself while looking at them.

Itakos Art Gallery – 2020 Summer Collection: Caly Applewhyte, ChimKami, Moonedembaum, Ooxooi, Roberta Barineaux

Some of the artists did ring a bell as I wrote abouth them before, like Angelika Corral, Caly Applewhyte or Tralala Loordes. But most of the featured artists were new for me. I’m pretty sure that I will see more of them.

Itakos Art Gallery – 2020 Summer Collection: ARnnO PLAneR, Aver Osk, David Silence, Joy De’Leon, Poupée Anna

The Itakos Art Gallery is owned and curated by Akim Alonzo. Actually it is a place for arts with 7 exhibition rooms or pavillons: White, Black, Grey, Blue, Orange, Purple, Green Pavillion. There’s also a website where new exhibtions are announced.
Thank you Akim for the 2020 Summer Collection. I enjoyed my visit.

Landmark to Itakos Art Gallery BLACK Pavilion
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/ATL/183/171/1009
“Soul Portraits – Itakos Art Gallery” Flickr
https://www.flickr.com/groups/soulportraits/
The Itakos Project and Art Gallery website
http://itakos.it/