Art in Second Life virtual gallery

When it gets frustrating for you trying to get a local gallery to accept you into their fold.. try another avenue! Have you ever heard of the online virtual world Second Life? Since this year.. I have been exhibiting my art on secondlife.com, which is an active virtual world in cyber space. I first heard about it on TV a few years ago and tried it. I did not understand it back then .. and only rediscovered Second life.. or `SL' (as we residence there tend to call it) last year during a discussion with two men on xing.com. We were thinking of ways I could bring my art to the wider world. I was asked to go on SL to be an art curator ...to cut a long story short.. I did re sign up and have been very active since!

Since I became AmandaT Tamatzui..in Second Life , I have had solo and group showings at the :

Library Art Gallery...

Twisting Art , Downunder,

University of Chester UK (A real life University in the UK), Art show along with their students.. I was one of a few professional artists invited to show there.

Venice (Italy in Second Life)

Paris Metro Art Gallery (Paris in Second Life)

And am currently abt to end my few weeks at the CRISS Museum of Contemporary Art

I also owned my own Gallery called Arttunes at one point.

What does this all mean? It meant I could show my art to people all over the world... uploading my real life images in PNG form I was able to show them in clarity, images of my art. I sold them for abt USD $ 4- $ 5 for a piece of my digital art. Does not seem much but it is in the quantity that one makes money while having lots of fun and making new friends... and I am also building credibility as an artist in that world. Sooner or later I am expecting to sell some real life pieces of art like what my dear artist friend Filthy Fluno does from Massachusetts, USA.

It also mean that abt 10,000 people have seen my art and I have been garnering interest in my works. As I write.. there are plans for me to show in RL with some SL artists and solo shows overseas.... I am considered blessed... as there must be thousands of artists in SL and yet within a year I am now a known artist in various Sl communities and have had more than half a dozen solo shows... :)

It can be very daunting if you get into SL alone without help... I know, I gave up 3 years ago... It can be difficult without the know how or the right contacts.. The good thing about second life is.. it gives us artists an opportunity to show our art without a handful of gallery peope standing in our paths. And Second life is more forgiving and it is so much easier to get to know the right people once you establish a presence there. That is a place where you can let your real inner you shine or you can put on a different persona... Whatever you wish!

I am deciding whether I want to open up my own gallery again and maybe help some of you to show online...

I shall upload some of my exhibitions for you to see.... :) for a picture does speak a thousand words! Please watch this space.. I may decide to do a web site based on my SL art exhibitions.. :) Now try googling Amandat Tamatzui and see what you come up with. :)

Hope to see you on Second life! :)

Amanda

New Zealand Artist

http://www.amandatomasoa.com