She
takes just like a woman, yes she does
She makes love just like a woman, yes she does
And she aches just like a woman
But she breaks just like a little girl.
She makes love just like a woman, yes she does
And she aches just like a woman
But she breaks just like a little girl.
Bob
Dylan
Recently,
I’ve blogged about visits I’ve made to art exhibits in Second Life (SL). These were the A
Homage to Leonard Cohen and Aspects
of Solitude. All
these were arranged by Morgana Nagorski, an
art curator inworld.
Morgana has
sent me an invitation for her next exhibition, Love & Other Bruises, being
held at the Palais
Orleans Gallery Complex. She
described it as “about love... lies... deceit...
selfishness... indifference... jealousy... betrayal... infidelity....
Love gone bad, if you will. Heartbreak!” I was intrigued.
I was also
intrigued by Morgana and what she does inworld.
Who was this woman who spent all this time, meeting artists, arranging
the exhibit space, and promoting the events?
To say nothing of the terrific opening night parties she throws.
Morgana
was amenable to an interview so we scheduled a time.
We meet (To
my friends, don’t worry. I was dressed
and behaved myself.) at the Palais Orleans Gallery Complex which has been set
up for the Love & Other Bruises exhibit.
Morgana’s usual attention to detail and organizational skills are in
evidence as we stroll through the gallery talking about her life and work
inworld.
Morgana is
the owner and curator of the Palais Orleans Gallery Complex in SL in addition
to being an artist in her own right. In
September 2011, after two stints at galleries that folded and closed along with
their sims, she was asked to have an exhibition at was then the Palais Orleans
Art Studio and Design. Shortly, before
its opening, the gallery’s owner asked if Morgana would like to be its curator. As the owner was withdrawing from SL at the
time (always sad to hear). Morgana was allowed free rein as its curator. After two successful shows, the owner “gave”
the gallery to her. Morgana guesses that
she really only received the name because nothing else was transferable.
She
couldn’t take on more tier at the time so she moved the gallery to a place in
the sky over her home and became a gallery owner and not just a curator in
February 2012.
However,
this became too limiting for her.
Morgana was spending all her time showing the work of other people and
had not time, or time, to show her own work.
This was crazy to her. So, in
October 2012, she took the plunge and commissioned Zandy Oh to
a “gallery complex” which comprises three galleries and Morgana’s studio. Now,
she can show the work of other people as well as her own.
My next
question is why does Morgana do this?
She explains that she needs a challenge.
Morgana doesn’t know how the “shop and shag brigade” can stay in SL for
years doing only that. She has to be
interested to continue. In order for her
shows to go well, she had to take control of them herself. This is what Morgana has done. Also, profit is not a motive in her
work. (She’s very insistent about that
as she spends more than she gets back.) Her
passion for her work is her motivation.
The how of
Morgana’s art shows happen is an interesting one. Each show has a theme such as the singer
Leonard Cohen or solitude. She goes with
things that interest or inspire her.
(The word “interest” comes up a lot in conversations with Morgana.) Ideas can come from a line in a song,
something that happens in Real Life (RL), an accident in a TV show, or a
dream. Morgana says that her problem is
not finding ideas for exhibits but
deciding which of the gazillion ideas that she has to run with.
Morgana
meets artists for her exhibits by visiting other galleries and going through
Flickr.
As we walk
around the gallery, Morgana points out two of her pictures which are part of
the show. These are Support and No Man’s Land. They are based on her own experiences with relationships
inworld. The former speaks to her
supporting a partner while sacrificing her own needs and desires. The latter uses a bed and barbed wire as a
metaphor for the barriers that can develop in a relationship.
Morgana is
already thinking about and preparing for next show entitled “Duet” and will
take place in June. I’ll write about
this one later as more information becomes available. Also, don’t forget to drop by and visit Love
& Other Bruises at the Palais Orleans Gallery Complex. It’ll run until July 21, 2013. Maybe I’ll see you there!
We finish
our talk and I take my leave of Morgana.
I come away impressed both with her and her work. Morgana is yet another example of the
creativity and community evident is SL. Morgana’s
latest show, Love & Other Bruises, has twenty artists exhibiting. Her opening parties draw large crowds by SL
standards. The art works on display are of high quality
and thought provoking. (Yes, I know that
I’m not an art critic but I know what I like when I see it.)
Below
please find links to several pictures that Morgana shared with me as part of
this story. Her art work may be seen in Flickr.
I’d like
to thank Morgana for taking the time to meet with me and answer my questions
while preparing for her next show.
As
always, I’m grateful to all inworld 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 Morgana Nagorski
Photo No. 2 Love
& Other Bruises Poster
Photo No. 3 Aspects of
Solitude Poster
Photo No. 4 Unified Heart
(Leonard Cohen) Poster
Photo No. 5 Support by Morgana Nagorski
Photo No. 6 No
Man’s Land by Morgana Nagorski
Photo No. 7 Jilted
by Harbor Galaxy
Photo No. 8 Corpus
Maudit by Dantelicea Ethaniel
Photo No. 9 A
Matter of Perspective by Sennet Coronet
Photo No. 10 Dolls
Can’t Cry by Kato Salyut
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