Aruba DeCuir's Art Gallery at Santa lemanja

Second Life is a wonderful outlet for creativity. I was recently told of an interesting little art gallery, so I popped over for a visit and found quite a diverse collection on display.

The gallery is divided into two parts. On entering the building you find yourself in a room showing works done by gallery owner Aruba DeCuir. Next to this space is another containing the gallery’s permanent collection which is made up of works done by other artists. While I was visiting I was fortunate enough to meet up with Aruba and she talked to me about both her works and the others that are on display.

Her works are what she describes as “digital art”. They are based on digital photographs and done on the computer. These pieces are brightly coloured, have a strong graphic sense and include numbers. To me they seem to be influenced by Pop Art.
The works on display in the permanent collection area are there because Aruba liked them and because they have a message of some kind. Most were done especially for SL, although not all were. She has even included objects that were not created as art pieces.

There is plenty of food for thought in this small gallery. One work, called “Pullman’s Dream” by Bonafidenutts Aries refers to the experience of African American men working as porters on Pullman cars in the United States after the Civil War. On plantations men were often called by their slaveholder’s name. This tradition continued on at the Pullman Company after the Civil War so in this case porters would be called “George” after George Pullman. The porter was expected to be constantly on duty, and was both visible and invisible at the same time.

Nearby this work is “Postcard from SL”. It shows people wandering in a sim, surreptitiously looking at each other. In one corner is a caption saying “Looking for Love in SL”. Underneath is another line “Wish you were here ...” which has been covered with x’s. Are these kisses or is the sender of the postcard looking for love in SL separate from an RL relationship?

Even the fact of including non-art objects in a gallery space raises questions. What is art, what makes something art? Who decides what is or is not art?
Aruba is looking forward to displaying more works by other artists, so we can look forward to continuing this dialogue on the nature of art and the experience of the individual (in rl and sl) in the future.

This art gallery is on a sky platform over a sim where Aruba has created a peaceful little village. There are colourful buildings set in a tropical environment. They include a shop with low prim furniture, another art gallery, a bath and a club. It is a tranquil place, made for relaxing with friends. Perhaps it would be a good place to discuss the ideas and questions that may have come up while visiting the gallery in the sky.