Works of art often last
forever, or nearly so. But exhibitions themselves, especially gallery
exhibitions, are like flowers; they bloom and then they die, then exist only as
memories, or pressed in magazines and books.
Jerry Saltz
Morgana
Nagorski, my Second Life (SL) friend and an inworld artist and
gallerist, is at it again. Fresh off her
successful
exhibition dedicated to the lyrics of Leonard Cohen, she has
launched another exhibition entitled Aspects of Solitude where the works of two
SL artists, Amona Savira and Harbor Galaxy, are on view.
Aspects of
Solitude opened on Saturday, April 20, 2013 in the Palais
Orleans Gallery Complex. Morgana was there along with the two artists
and the guests. I arrived as the opening
started. (Hey, I don’t want to miss the
food and drink, I’m a struggling, starving writer after all.)
Other
guests came and went as the night progressed.
As always, I’m as much fascinated by the guests as I am the art hanging
on the walls. Clothing styles range from
formal to casual grunge (more my style).
One guest looked like she was auditioning for a role as a Borg in a Star
Trek episode.
The mood is light and jovial. The conversation is friendly banter. The exchanges of friends about how they’re
doing and how much they’re enjoying the show.
During the time I’m there several dozen people come and go. A good turnout for an art exhibition
opening.
Despite
guests coming and going, Amona and Harbor make time to speak with me. Both have extensive portfolios of SL works
available. Amona’s works can be seen on Pinterest and Flickr. Harbor presents her work
on Koinup.
Harbor explained to me how she viewed
this exhibition as a collaboration not only between herself and Amona but the
entire SL community. Their joint
statement about the show sums up their thoughts behind the show, “The images
are about all the lonely nights, waiting for nobody . . . in solitude. And those early morning hours when sleep
escapes us and the mind wanders, reviewing the decisions that define our waking
life.”
The
gallery itself is a large two story building with the main entrance in the
front. The artwork hangs on the walls on the walls in two rows from floor to
ceiling. A staircase goes to a walkway
which permits visitors to view the art hanging in the top row.
Morgana
has done her usual exemplary job as the curator of this exhibit. Her use of the written word with the visual
image is appealing and unusual for a SL exhibition. A visitor to the show has a total experience
which draws on the strengths of SL.
The
pictures themselves catch my eye as I view them. I must warn everyone that I’m not an art
critic. (Significant Other says it’s a
good thing because I’d be in even more trouble than I am as a writer.) Several pieces I noticed in particular are
Amona’s Solitude and Fear of Flying and Harbor’s Loss of Balance and Reflection on Water. (And,
no, it’s not because I’ve been hanging around with a lot of naked people
lately.)
I
also had one of those fun moments in SL which happens from time to time. By
pure chance, I ran into another friend at the opening. The Cat from Naked was in attendance buying new pieces for her already extensive
collection. (I didn’t recognize her at
first, probably because this was the first time we met while being fully
clothed!) If you have time I recommend
dropping in to see part of her collection at Naked
West. I’d recently blogged
about Naked.
After
a few more spins around the gallery, I take my leave of Morgana, Amona, and
Harbor, thanking them for their hospitality and time.
Aspects
of Solitude is an excellent example of how SL can be used to hold an event like
an art exhibition. Virtual worlds and
their tools also permit artists to create art and explore possibilities not
possible in Real Life (RL). SL also
makes having permanent galleries to exhibit artwork. My earlier stories about Seductions
by Hitomi and the Doors
Gallery are give examples of these.
I
encourage everyone to drop and see Amona’s and Harbor’s work. Morgana’s presentation and organization make
for an enjoyable experience. It is time
well spent and you won’t regret it. You
may even want to acquire a piece or two for your inworld home! The exhibition runs until June 16, 2013.
I’d like
to thank Morgana, Amona, and Harbor for taking time out from their opening to
meet with me. I wish them well and look
forward to seeing more of their work in the future.
As
always, I’m grateful to all for their kindness and time in stopping to talk
with a stranger who was passing through their lives.
I welcome feedback from readers, please either comment on
my blog or
e-mail me at webspelunker@gmail.com
.
If you would like to read about my other adventures in Second Life please click here.
If you would like to read about my other adventures in Second Life please click here.
Photo No. 1 Aspects of Solitude Poster
Photo No. 2 Morgana
Nagorski
Photo No. 3 Amona
Savira and Harbor Galaxy
Photo No. 4 Aspects
of Solitude – Opening Party I
Photo No. 5 Aspects
of Solitude – Opening Party II
Photo No. 6 The
Cat (Dressed)
Photo No. 7 Solitude
Photo No. 8 Loss
of Balance
Photo No. 9 Fear
of Flying
Photo No. 10 Reflection
of Water
No comments:
Post a Comment