All entries are in and the UWA Gallery is open for IMMATERIAL! We received a total of 37 entries from artists in 15 countries.
I have been overwhelmed by the wonderful response of so many of my all-time favorite artists, as well as some I didn't know before. This has been one of the happiest shows I've had the pleasure of assembling. I want to thank all of you who have so generously participated. Aside from the Freedom Project of a couple of years ago (which had its own incentives), I think this is our fist exhibition without competition. No judging or prizes, just artists who want to share their creative imaginations.
I am thinking about an official opening event, but that's not my top priority right now. Hopefully we can have a few parties along the way. The exhibition will be open for at least the next two (possibly three) months. Meanwhile I will be working on the exhibition catalog as part of the
UWA SiVA online journal series.
You can see earlier entries in this blog below. As usual there was a flurry of new entries at the very end, so here are all the rest (in no particular order). But better yet,
go see them "for real" in Second Life!
Haveit Neox (Los Angeles, California, USA): "Flight from the Scroll"
Haveit has been one of the most productive artists I know. Here he explores further his interest in language, the written word, and form.
Lilia Artis (Bern, Switzerland): "Who Are You?"
Lilia asks this important question as we present ourselves in so many ways, in person, in social media, in the mirror.
iSkye Silverweb (Green Bay, Wisconsin, USA): "Windy Memories"
iSkye puts her laundry on the line in this introspective scene.
Sabine Stonebender (San Antonio, Texas, USA): "Inbound from the Oort Cloud"
Sabine was one of my favorite creative people going back to when I first started to explore Second Life nearly ten years ago. I vividly remember her amazing tower of abstract environments that seemed to ascend into the sky forever. She has been less active in SL in recent years, but I was thrilled to receive this from her.
quadrapop Lane (Perth, Western Australia, Australia): "Conceptually absent"
quad was my predecessor and the original curator for the first year at UWA. She is also an ingenious artist who knows how to use the special features of SL creatively. In this deceptively simple piece she explores the idea that art is, lterally, in the mind of the beholder, and depends very much on what the viewer brings to it.
ErikoLeo (Paris, France): "Reflections"
Eriko has been talking to our mutual friend Silas Merlin (also represented in IMMATERIAL), who has been exploring transforming his real life 2D work into 3D. Eriko has set the scene of an artist's studio, with Silas's 3D rendering of Degas's "Dancer at the barre." Among the furnishings is a mirror on the wall that appears to actually reflect the room itself using a trick of SL's projected lights. (A similar technique is used in Moewe Winkler's piece, elsewhere in this show). It's a subtle part of the scene that's easy to miss, but is well worth seeking out.
Jesse Keyes (Dawsonville, Georgia, USA): "Victorian Observation Steps"
Reminiscent of his "Mars" installation in UWA's "Pursue Impossible" show, Jesse this time gives us a large view of the solar system with projections of Earth, Jupiter, Neptune and the other planets.
Strand Starsider (California, USA): "Reflection"
Strand gives us a mysterious portrait that eloquntly uses projected images and shadow to clothe his model in a kind of embrace.
Apmel Goosson (Stockholm, Sweden): "Bouncy Lawn"
Apmel can always be counted upon to lighten the mood, wherever he is to be found. Lest we take ourselves too seriously, take a romp on his bouncy lawn.
Chic Aeon (Corvallis, Oregon, USA): "Coupling"
Chic is back, this time with an elegant sculpture that is at once both abstract and somehow intimate.
Kerupa Flow (Japan): "Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow"
I saw Kerupa's installation at SL13B recently and was impressed with her immersive piece with inverted heads and illusory angles. I contacted her and asked if she would be interested in participating in IMMATERIAL. She kindly agreed with this poignant gesture of despair and hope.
Frankx Lefavre (Sydney, Australia): "Reflections at Midnight"
Frankx always has a lot going on in his work. This one has some fairly dramatic surprises for those who are curious enough.
