"My Greece, My Cats" by Slatan Dryke

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By Bixyl Shuftan

Last week, I was at the opening of an art exhibit by Slatan Dryke. I've known Slatan best for his support of the projects his partner iSkye Silverweb takes part in. But he's also an accomplished artist. This was the opening of a photography exhibit, "My Greece, My Cats."

On Sunday March 21, I dropped in at the Kultivate Art Gallery at Noon SL time, and there was a small crowd there. 

 Slatan and iSkye were there in tiny avatars, dinkie cats. dancing to the music. He and others happily greeted me, and invited me to get information from the sign about the exhibit. 

"My love of Greece goes back to when I traveled to Greece my first time more than 40 years ago," Slatan stated in one of the two cards I read, "I have had the great lucky, being Greece is one of my neighbor countries, to visit so many islands where the marrow of its culture and traditions did not change in centuries. Don't ask me about the most fashionable locations, because I have never been there. Ask me about a bunch of those small islands where the time runs slowly under the shade of a tamarisk tree. There are so many tiny jewels, often unknown to the touristic chains, where you can find your nook of joy, coming from the simplest daily things but overall from the feeling that you become part of the local community, that in some cases is not larger than 500 inhabitants."

"My long path to find what the Greeks call "Pyrinas" (Core) is finally ended some years ago when I visited for the first time the isle of Astypalaia. Love at the first sight ! In love with its rich history, the clear waters surrounded by an harsh nature, the fresh and tasty simple food, and the cats! Every Greek island has a colony of stray cats, and Astypalaia is no exception. They are the genuine freeholders, the custodians of the old city and the harbour, looking at you with that glance of indifference and mercy for that poor hooman, who wishes for the freedom that they will never have. Maybe this is the reason why everyone loves and cares for them !"

"Lovely material things help a lot, we know it, but what touched me from the very first days has been how the people there include you, not as a short time visitor but as someone who is part of them, always ready to share with you a pure straight smile, or a wave from an elder that sees you for the first time. Well this is my Pyrinas and now after many years spent there, they consider me a son of Astypalaia and I feel that deeply in my bones! With these images I wanted to share with you part of it, hoping that you can feel it."

Lyric Serendipity played some music for the people there. Later on, Jessie Janic would perform.

Vee Tammas Shocker (Veruca Tammas), whom I saw at a number of Second Life Birthday events, greeted people, She commented, "It's like 6 degrees of separation around SL. We all bump into each other now and then." iSkye mused, "And in SL perhaps there are only three degrees of separation." JaysinTaylor Resident, Lyric's announcer, mused, "I think in SL there are endless degrees of separation."

One visitor would comment of Slatan and his exhibit, "How cool Slatan....an cutting edge avatar who only uses old school photography tools!" Slatan responded, "And something called film, that someone does not know what it is, hehe."

Another notecard would say of Slatan he's from Italy, "Slatan loves Art in every form, but he is most fond of paintings and sculptures, following his classical education. Slatan is also a photographer in RL. ... His buildings, sculptures and photographies have been exhibited in Art Galleries and at a number of main SL events::  University of Western Australia (UWA), BURN2's, Santalarity, Burnal Equinox, Conception; SL Birthday, Raglan Shire's ArtWalk, Art in the Park, Emphatic Eccentricia, Seaside Gallery, Oxford @rts Gallery. Pop-Up Art, Cape Able Art Gallery, VWBPE (Virtual Worlds Best Practice in Education), Ethnographia, Linden Endowment for the Arts (LEA), Kultivate Windlight Art Gallery, Holly Kay Art Park, Phoenix Artists Collaboration, Ani's Gallery, La Maison d'Aneli, Argentum Artem, ArtCare Gallery, International Photography Festival, One Billion Rising, Relay for Life, Rock your Rack, Second Life Endowment for The Arts (SLEA), and many others including collaborations with artists in Second Life and Educational Institutions in Real Life as EduNation and Dublin Institute of Technology."

One can see more of Slatan's pictures on his Flickr page: https://www.flickr.com/photos/22453297@N02/

To check out the exhibit, head here: https://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Water%20Haven/28/110/31

Bixyl Shuftan
 

Anibrm Jung's Photography And "Crumbs From My Nightmares"

By Gemma Cleanslate

I was able to visit two very different art exhibits in the past few days. The first visit was to view the real life art photos by Ani (Anibrm Jung) , the owner of Art by Nature. The Gallery Graine is where she is showing her very lovely and varied photographs. 

 “Ani is a RL award-winning photographer for her sensitive and vibrant portraits of nature's works of art. Using only natural light and her Nikon D60 digital camera she captures the intimate detail of the life bursting forth in her garden. Framing at the viewfinder, Ani uses no cropping or image manipulation, allowing us to see exactly as she sees and to feel the closeness to nature that is her joy.”Anibrm Jung is a RL award-winning photographer for her sensitive and vibrant portraits of nature's works of art. Using only natural light and her Nikon D60 digital camera she captures the intimate detail of the life bursting forth in her garden. This is the description of her works that is on her profile and I saw this in the photos displayed at the exhibit.

It will be there another week. So I recommend you get over there to visit. There is such a range of diversity, but all nature in it's best form.

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Blue%20Curacao/29/44/23

My next visit was to my friend Slatan Dryke’s exhibit in LEA6 which will be there until the end of May. I arrived to a large crowd attending the opening party. Many friends were in attendance so it was good to see them all. I went around a bit to see the exhibit pieces. It is called "Crumbs from My Nightmares.”

  Most of Slatan’s work is in motion so it is hard to depict in photos. There is a heartbeat through out the region . I went back the next day to be able to experience it all.  As he says ,”Don't panic, these are my nightmares, just MINE !” I am not so sure

 As I looked at some of the pieces it almost reminded me of a few of my old nightmares. Be sure to pick up the notecard where you can read much more about his thinking in his art and in the art pieces. He says, “I wish to build in such a manner as if I were photographing my nightmares”.  That says it all. Go and experience the motion and rhythm . http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/LEA6/102/163/22

Gemma Cleanslate

Two Artists in Exhibits

By Gemma Cleanslate

 

Sorry to say I missed the opening of Giovanna Cerise " Retrospective" over at Gay Island Resort Saturday the 31st . In November I did an article on her “Chaos” at LEA  http://slnewserdesign.blogspot.com/2014/11/the-chaos-at-lea21.html   I made it over to the gallery the next day however and was so impressed with her many pieces from all years . The entrance I believe is from her Chaos exhibit . Inside the art on the walls and the sculptures ts are so impressive.  Her first piece ‘Obelisco a spresa’ from 2009 is amazing. 

 

I was lucky to see Giovanna while I was there as people were coming in to see the exhibit. She told me that most of her works are in prim but lately has added mesh to the newer ones. I had a hard time deciding which I like best as did another visitor . Her latest, The Ballerina , I believe is almost all mesh. It is entrancing. Giovanna also will have an exhibit at the 1Billion Rising so I will be looking for her works there too.

 

This Retrospective will be on display for the month of February . I hope you will be able to visit to see the full range of her past years all in one place. This is an adult sim and I am not sure if you need to be age verified but try..

 

GAY ISLAND Resort (127,157,1504)

 

Another exhibit that I visited this past weekend was the new SL Photography exhibit that opened at the Seaside  Gallery owned by  JMB Balogh. My friend Slatan Dryke .with whom I have worked on several sl birthday events and Burn2,  is showing his varied pieces. Again I missed the opening event but went over to see what he was displaying. Slatan likes to explore Second Life and finds sites that intrigue hims. I asked him what windlights he uses, and he told me that he plays with the setting until he finds one that he likes that will achieve the image he wants. 

 

The pieces on two floors are eclectic . He says of his work "Photography... My Photography is not an Art Expression.  It's only a way to bust from myself... however, being closer to my Kernel."  There is a biography note card with more information about his works in the gallery.

 

I would say my favorites are the ones with a foggy , smokey look that are so intriguing. He does some in bright splashes of vibrant color and some in subtle hues .  He also has set some of his scuplts around the gallery. Make time to visit both during February . 

 

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Nestor/184/191/96

 

Gemma Cleanslate