Certainly not at Sunfire Galleries(*). You might remember that a few weeks back we blogged about the beautiful show there by Gwen Carillon. Well, has staged another magnificent show that’s not to be missed – Elements and Inspirations by Keith Extraordinaire.
Keith is a long established artist and creator in Second Life – those two things are not always synonymous, but with Keith they really are – as evidenced in his sim, Serenite, and in this amazing exhibition.
This is not an installation – except in the sense that the settings form a wonderfully harmonious counterpoint to the paintings. This is not about stretching the boundaries of the possible in terms of creation – it’s about stretching the boundaries of the possible in terms of imagination.
Thus a woman becomes a firebird … and beyond it, to the element of fire itself – passion, exuberance, and an edge of danger. Maple leaves catch light and form shapes of their own with a message as mysterious as the destination of the path they shelter. A mermaid rises from the briny sea, Venus from the waves, the foam forming wings to lift her higher should she desire – but her gaze is turned away; she is uninterested in us, land creatures gazing at her. Her concern lies out, far across the darkened ocean, a wine too deep for Homer’s conceit. A woman of clouds, edged with the sun’s radiance.
And an amazing, disturbing piece, recalling one of the most famous of Goya’s Los Desatres de la Guerra. A man hangs for a tree, upside down, hands bound behind him, his chest exposed, the bright striped trousers at variance with the stark, deadened tree, the bleak landscape. But, unlike the Goya painting – Grande hazaña! Con muertos! – this body is not dismembered. A cascade of dark hair falls down from the head and the inverted face that stares out, enigmatic, is the artist’s own.
The paintings are arranged to follow a path taking you through the elements – and the inspirations – but you can choose where you begin, creating your own path to follow. So … go. You won’t regret it.
Elements and Inspirations, the Landscapes Portraits and Prims of Keith Extraordinaire
September 20th – October 13th 2008
at Sunfire Gallery
~~~~~~~~~~
(*) And yes, we know that it should be “Fear No More the Heat of the Sun”.
Prim Perfect 
One comment