Diomita Maurer’s Blog

Akiko Kinoshi (Akiko Kiyori) invited me to the opening of a new exhibtion at her sim Akimori on Sunday, December 5th. I had seen there “The Borderless Project” this Summer and wrote a blogpost series about it (read here part I, part II, part III and part IV). The new exhibition is called “Clay & Seed“.

I could not attend the opening itself and went there already the day before the official opening party. Akiko had told me that the exhibition was already open. With the invitation I got a notecard with the landmark, a notecard about the exhibition and a notecard with information about each participating artist: Haveit Neox, Bamboo Barnes and Lilia Artis.

Clay & Seed is “a collaboration of art, utilizing 3D, 2D, and Text. For the Clay & Seed exhibit, Bamboo Barnes chose to focus on 2D artwork, Lilia Artis on poetry, and Haveit Neox on sculpture and architecture. The goal was to have these disciplines unite into a single work, which in this case of three like-minded artists, occurred organically.

Haveit’s galleries provide the supporting walls for Bamboo’s imagery, while Lilia’s poetry garnishes the windows of these clay buildings and thus closes the circle. During the process, each artist’s work contained a seed of inspiration for the other two. Being admirers of each other’s works for many years, it seems destiny smiled on these three with the opportunity to share their visions together and in an art region that inspired their creativity.

Describing the erosion of the environment and human relationships, the work of all three artists explores the fields of destruction, growth, abuse, hope, gratefulness, and loneliness.“

The landing is in the center of the installation on a little platform with three trees. A few chairs invite to sit down and to have a first view on the artwork. It is in the skies. Two big buildings, which reminded me of cathedrals, caught my eyes first. The two buildings are the galleries. Between the two buildings are several platforms in the form of dishes. They seem to be supported by many beings among others also mermaids. On the dishes are 3D art objects. You also see paths that lead the visitor around and along the paths are more 3D art objects.

Clay & Seed – Impressions (1): First views on Haveit Neox’ artwork

At the landing point you can grab presents from the three artists, art that you can use to display at home. I started to explore the installation. All 3D objects were made by Haveit Neox. In the accompanying notecard Haveit wrote about himself:
“I feel that I grew up in a garden. Nearly always a barefoot kid with stained feet from the earth, I constructed primitive cities with yard debris, mud, and twigs. Colorful paint and cutout pictures from magazines enriched the surfaces. Later I fashioned cities of fired clay and glazes. Interior and exterior spaces fascinated me as I observed bugs take up residence. I also drew cities on paper and long scrolls. The cities advanced from their mud origins to painted scrolls, and ceramics.
In Real Life, I have displayed my artworks mainly in Los Angeles, New York, and a couple shows in Paris. The theme is often based on urban settings of my own invention. In December 2009, I was led to the virtual world of Second Life. As a child, a strong and recurrent fantasy was miniature people populating my cities. Avatars fulfill that dream. The spaces I make in SL receive real people in their pixel guise. In the context of the city, the interior and exterior spaces hold my artwork, and are themselves a habitable exhibit.“

Clay & Seed – Impressions (2): Haveit Neox’ artwork

There’s a lot to discover and to see. For example you find the small clay cities, you find artful beings like horses, fishes, mermaids, fantasy beings, you find smaller 3D art pieces where several layers build the 3D effect. And the 2 galleries of course.

Some of Haveit Neox’ sims and buildings still can be seen in Second Life – something on my list of places to visit: Acc Alpha (also known as the city of Accentaury), QeddoQ, Sparquerry and Centaurs’ Hall.
On vimeo you can watch a video about Haveit’s RL clay artwork and about Accentaury: Accentaury Tour 2014. On the sim of ACC Alpha, Accentaury, City Center 2016.

At the entrance of both gallery buildings are storks that hold boards with the poems of Lilia Artis. As mentioned above, poems are also in the windows of the two gallery buildings. They aer kind of a connecting element between Haveit Neox’ 3D art and buildings and Bamboo Barnes’ pictures that are exhibited inside of the galleries.

Clay & Seed – Impressions (3): Lilia Artis’ poems

spit out

you look at me
showing yellow teeth
I see cities tumble
out of your open mouth
and remnants of corpses

your foul breath crawls
over my body that is locked in place
to witness you gobbling down empires
and spitting them out again
only to tell me who I am

Lilia Artis writes about herself:
“My RL artwork stepped into the background when I discovered the love of writing, which has become my main career. Coming into SL however, rekindled the passion for the paths of colours, light, pattern and structure. And so, I merge both interests into my virtual art, be it 2D, 3D or machinima. During my creative voyage all these years I noticed how much my virtual art inspired the exploration of my RL artwork and vice versa, often one leading to the other. In the beginning I was neck deep into painting with acrylics and water colours and drawing. When I later learned to weld metal and to sculpt stone and wood, I discovered my love of creating 3D objects. At first it only led to learning the goldsmith craft and creating my own jewelry. But I was hooked and seeing what you can do with prims in SL felt like such a similar process, minus the damaged fingers. I will never forget the joy of building my first simple virtual installations made of prims. Again several years later, learning to sculpt with 3D software led to learning to sculpt with clay in RL, something I would never have considered otherwise. But I wanted to create faces, something that fascinates me most…
I have done solo and collaborative exhibitions in galleries and at events in Second Life. For a while my main focus concerning artwork was on machinima. I teamed up with Haveit Neox and we expanded to RL art projects as well, which we will continue into the future. Since 2015 in SL I focused on building together with Haveit Neox the Arts & Entertainment region for Fantasy Faire.”
There are still video’s available of Lilia Artis’ machimas, which were made for the UWA art challenges, 2015 & 2014: ‘Tis an Egg, touching white and Striding – unknown Roads.

Clay & Seed – Impressions (4): Bamboo Barnes’ artwork

Inside of the galleries are Bamboo Barnes pictures. I never saw that many pictures of her than in this exhibtion. There are around 30 pictures in each of the two buildings.
Bamboo is in Second Life for over 14 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), I saw “Mindstorm” at IMAGO Land (read here), and just recently I saw her exhibition “Drawer” at Hannington Arts Foundation (read here). I also had a look at her flickr page.

Clay & Seed – Impressions (5): Bamboo Barnes’ artwork

The broad range of themes is intriguing. There are pictures that remind of Mediterrean cities painted in water colour and artfully processed in Bamboo’s way. There are faces under several layers so that the spectator has to dive into the picture, there are pure abstract cretions as well as pictures of art objects. You have to see them yourself – and you need time to get all the details. Each of the two buildings would be worth a seperate visit.
But that’s not all…. Looking down I could see another platform. It is connected to the art installation “Clay & Seed” with a long row of horses which winds up from there to the platform. I did not check if you could walk up and down, I think it is more another art object, that connects the world below with “Clay & Seed” in the sky. On the lower level is another art installation of Bamboo Barnes, this time in 3D. I didn’t find a name or anything about it. The installation consists of boxes, mirror boxes and ice cubes. As you could expect it, it hs very colourful. You can walk inside and suddently you’re completely in another world. Whereever your look at you see Bamboo’s art.
In the outside Bamboo added some geometrical forms and objects .. and you can sit down for a break and a chair. This chair is one of the gifts you could grab at the landing of “Clay & Seed” – and it is now also at my homeplace.

Below “Clay & Seed” – Bamboo Barnes’ Boxes

Visiting “Clay & Seed” made my Saturday an art day! I enjoyed my visit, reading about the artists and writing about this great installation. Thank you Akiko Kinoshi (Akiko Kiyori) for your kind invitation as well as for providing the space for the arts. Thank you Haveit Neox, Bamboo Barnes and Lilia Artis for your artwork.
According to Akiko “Clay & Seed” will be availabe for a visit for several months.

Landmark to Clay & Seed @ Akimori
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Akimori/189/86/1740

Haveit Neox Acc Alpha (also known as the city of Accentaury)
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/ACC%20Alpha/236/208/54
Haveit Neox QeddoQ
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/qeddoq/110/118/32
Haveit Neox Sparquerry
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Sparquerry/128/128/28
Haveit Neox Centaurs’ Hall
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Verdigris/209/75/66
Haveit Neox RL clay artwork
https://vimeo.com/281525163
Haveit Neox Accentaury Tour 2014. On the sim of ACC Alpha
https://vimeo.com/115370393
Haveit Neox Accentaury, City Center 2016
https://vimeo.com/195723654
Lilia Artis ‘Tis an Egg
https://vimeo.com/143798263
Lilia Artis touching white
https://vimeo.com/144233680
Lilia Artis Striding – unknown Roads
https://vimeo.com/110392433
Bamboo Barnes’ flickr page
https://www.flickr.com/photos/bamboobarnes/