MINDSCAPES by Moki Yuitza

 

poster made by David Silence based on an image of Moki

January 2022: I am proud and happy to present MINDSCAPES by Moki Yuitza; an overwhelming installation of shapes and light @ Nitroglobus.
This first exhibition/installation of the year is a complete metamorphosis of the gallery: it's Mokiglobus now instead of Nitroglobus.
The official opening party took place on Monday, 10 January with great music by DJ Jill Agresti. Yeah I know I am late with blogging, my apologies. 



Description of the installation MINDSCAPES by Moki:

'SL is a virtual world in which everything is possible .... space is a mathematical/mental construction in which anything can be realized ... as long as we can conceive it.
When I was young, I loved building everything that popped into my head with colored bricks, and here in SL I used the same basic bricks which were available to give substance to my mental spaces.
Landscapes, formed just with simple prims, in which we, the avatars, move around and to which the avatars give body and dimension.
One is meaningless without the other'.



Moki has been in second life for over 13 years. She is a renowned SL artist who showed her talents and creativity in many very different types of installations and exhibitions over the past years. 

Moki, who is an architect in RL wrote that in this metaverse she found the possibility to realize her idea of space and her architectural fantasy, as well as to share this with other people.

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IN THE PRESS

image by Inara Pey

Inara Pey wrote an awesome article 'Moki's Mindscapes at Nitroglobus in second Life' in het blog 'Living in a Modemworld.

'Mindscapes can be very broadly split into two parts. On, over, and under the transparent floor is the 3D element: prims ranging from the relatively small to the extremely large, some apparently jumbled together, others arranged to form patterns and objects or stacked into columns. Around the walls, meanwhile, is a series of 2D images by Moki, presented in the traditional large format used at Nitroglobus.

The latter most clearly offer a visual representation of our avatar-based relationship with prims. Offered as primarily black-and-while / monochrome pieces, the 2D elements used the shapes and forms present within several of the 3D pieces within the gallery to present intriguing landscapes, rooms and situations from the seemingly simple – giant pyramids being looked upon by a couple of avatars -, through to almost alien landscapes filled with what might be giant spores or pollen, or spaces that seem to comprise random shards of light and dark through which two tiny avatars dance.'

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image by Frank Atisso

Frank Artisso, back from a short leave, also wrote a great review  'Mindscapes: An Installation by Moki Yuitza' in his blog ART KORNER.

Frank wrote:

'the latest exhibition at the gallery is unlike any we have ever seen before because it involves a complete overhaul of the gallery and incorporates both 2D and 3D art to create an installation that will completely leave any visitor fascinated.'

image by Frank Atisso

'These “mindscapes” formed with simple prims are enhanced by the use of lights, colors and even shadows to create something truly beautiful. They are given a body and dimension by us, the avatars that move through the installation.

Moki’s 2D art, which hangs on the walls of the Nitroglobus Gallery, is largely composed of minimalist photographs of these mindscapes and a couple of avatars interacting with them, as one is often meaningless without the other. It is this interaction of humans with the environment around that lends meaning to the image.'

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image by Diomita Maurer

The first to publish a review about Moki's installation/exhibition was Diomita, who wrote in her blog The Maurers: Art in Second Life 2022 (4) Mindscapes by Moki Yuitza.

'For the exhibtion MNDSCAPES a lot of the decoration elements, the coloured spheres, cubs, pyramides and others are also under the floor of the gallery, hence you are literally surrounded by Moki’s coloured bricks.

Some pictures build pairs, one showing a couple in front of or surrounded by the different bricks that form a structured building or geometrial form, in the correspondent picture Moki placed the couple or only their hands in the foreground and the structure(s) in the background. What you see or perceive is all a question of the perspective or of your standpoint. As intended one can loose oneself into the structured mindspace – mind escape – mindscape. Quite fascinating and artful!'

My sincere thanks to all the reviewers!

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OPENING PARTY on 10 January 2022:

Main players at the opening party. From top to bottom: Moki Yuitza, DJ Jill Agresti and hEIN (also a DJ, but this time helping out by replacing  Venus and shooting some particles).

 

Of course I couldn't resist to make many more images. 

Will show some here:

VIRTUALIDENTITY by Margherita Hax

 

VIRTUAL IDENTITY by Margherita Hax is the December 2021 exhibition @ Nitroglobus.

I am very happy to exhibit at Nitroglobus the images of this classy arty lady, who is exhibiting her works for the first time in an SL gallery. She already gained glory and followers with her Flickr account, but placing her works on the walls of a 'real' SL gallery and see people looking at it, is something completely different.

Meet Magherita (Marghe on short), who made 13 very personal new works for this exhibition, which all show some part of her SL body and her RL soul: VIRTUAL IDENTITY.

Over the years Marghe experimented in many roles and jobs which all represented a part of her, especially her creativity. She was for instance a model, an event host, a producer and director of shows and a theatrical actress. In short she always was looking for both an aesthetic and an artistic dimension. 

She had fun, she got excited, she fell in love, she suffered from the limits of virtuality and moreover, she was also afraid of no limits.

The exquisite poster for the exhibition was made by David Silence 

based on an image of Marghe.

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Margherita explains:

The title of this collection of images exhibited at Nitroglobus is inspired by the paradox which Second Life initiates between the identity hidden behind the monitor and the one revealed by the avatar, the messenger of the human being controlling the avatar.

I have always felt the fascination of this paradoxical combination of emotions which, although limited and contained by an important filter in one sense, flow even stronger into the other. Thus, suspended from judging what is true or fake, in my photos, through portraits, gazes, stories and attitudes, I try to show and narrate emotions, lifestyle, relationships and (why not) love in 3D, where even the Myths (Athena, Eros and Narcissus) are present,

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IN THE PRESS

image by Inara Pey

Inara Pey wrote a truly awesome article  'Art and Virtual Identity in Second Life' in her blog 'Living in a Modemworld' 

 

'Remarkable in its power, this is an exhibition that offers multiple opportunities for discussion, there is simply so much wrapped within the images and the themes. As individual pieces, the images at Nitroglobus are all inspiring in their presentation and depth; by using the west-east arm of the gallery to focus on a core story of love (and regret), and the north-south arm for more “individual” pieces that can also help to underline the motifs and emotions of the other arm, Margherita offers an exhibition of two intertwined halves that might be said to present a metaphor that again underlines her idea of paradox.'

BUT Inara also wrote this about me and wow I am so very proud, my cheeks are glowing 😀

'As this is the end of the year, and – as I’ve noted – another superb series of exhibitions at Nitroglobus, I’d like to close with a personal note with regards to Dido herself. Her approach to the exhibitions she hosts – invitation, collaboration, encouragement, the use of additional 3D to offer contrast or emphasis, her sheer enthusiasm for art, makes any visit to Nitroglobus a consistent delight and an absolute pleasure to write about in these pages.'

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image by Frank Atisso

Frank Atisso was the first to write a great review 'Virtual Identity : Margherita’s Fascinating Display at Nitroglobus' in his Blog & Gallery ART KORNER about Marghe's exhibition. Frank interviewed Marghe in the gallery and made the above image during that interview.

'As we sit down for a chat, Margherita tells me that she has always been curious about the possibilities that the virtual world offers to those who live in it. In a virtual world like Second Life, the possibilities are endless and a person can freely take on the identity they want to live. This world can be freeing in some ways as a person can rise above social stigma, peer pressure or any kind of traditional restrictions and live the life they want.
In this virtual world, one can make friends, have relationships and even create a mini-universe of their own within. However, with this liberty also comes the danger of false projections. In “Virtual Identity“, Margherita highlights this danger through a series of seven images which form a simple story of heartbreak, which most of us have lived through at some point. The L-shaped structure of the main hall of the Nitroglobus Gallery offered her a great opportunity to create this story through seven images which can be found in the arm extending eastwards.'

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Diomita Maurer published an article about Margherita's exhibition on 6 December in Diomita and Jenny Maurer’s Blog

'As I know already from my many visits to the Nitroglobus Roof Gallery the showcased picture are presented very well by the mirroring effect of the floor. As the name of the exhibition implies, the pictures deal with the virtual identity we give our avatar in Second Life. Although the mind and soul remains in the physical world, we try to express ourselves in our avatar – and usually we follow the dream of perfect beauty and perfectionism.'

My sincere thanks to all the reviewers!

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main players at the opening party

The opening party for the exhibition took place on Monday, 29 November and was super cool with tunes by DJ hEIN and accompanying particles by Venus Adored. 
Many visited and an overload of images was made by many visitors as well as by me. I will show you a few here:

Venus and Kurk

Marghe with Salvo

the one and only hEIN

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The following images were made by Mihailsk, who is a far better photographer than I am: