PAD! Not So Common

Pop Art, ”The transformation of the Commonplace“. We see it every day. It is used in advertising, in the comics, in magazines, in museums, just about everywhere. Some is funny, some very serious, but it is all real Art.

I was invited to attend the opening of a new exhibit of Pop Art Display, PAD, in SL on Tuesday. It was an amazing opening with 45 avatars there at various times and for most of the tour. The tour was enlightening as Matteus Taurog, one of the principles behind the exhibit, narrated the vision of the exhibit in Italian. And Ramona Halsey translated for the English Speakers. He described some of the 176 works with 40 in 3-D. Eros Boa, famous for his 3D work in Second Life, has placed some duplicates of famous pieces that you allows you to join with costumes and avatars he has placed there for you.

The exhibit building is 10 stories, so be prepared to stay a while to view and interact with many of the components of the exhibit. We moved from floor to floor by either flying or falling through appropriately marked openings. I know I will be going back several more times. There is so much there to appreciate.

Many of your favorite real-life artists and celebrities are represented in this magnificent exhibit. I saw Zorro Hirvi, another of the creators looking surprisingly like Andy Warhol, as did Eros. One floor is a complete re-creation of Warhol’s Silver Factory, his studio and the gathering place.

You will find an information card as you move through the museum at floor 1 that will give you a concise history of POP Art. The exhibit plans to stay in Second Life for a long time. At my last visit Eros was arranging a machine that had gum balls rolling all over the floor so it is still a work in progress. There is no closing date.

The Pop Art Display is located at the Solaris Island sim at (46,167,486)


Gemma Cleanslate

Tart Gallery Celebrates 3rd Anniversary

It's hard to believe Tart Gallery is 3 already! The Gallery, owned by artist ByrneDarkly Cazalet, is a gallery with an aim toward showcasing new artists, both from RL and SL.

Artists have showings on a quasi-monthly basis, with some exhibits holding over into a second month. Each new exhibit is highlighted by an opening party to browse and meet the artist, complete with DJ music and dancing.

On 14 July, the Anniversary Party took place. This month's featured artist is Lisa Petrucci with her exhibit "Kickass Kuties."

Lisa was a gallery curator in Portland, Maine and Boston, Massachusetts, eventually relocating to New York City where she was the director of the Pat Hearn Gallery and later the Bess Cutler Gallery. Disenchanted with the contemporary art world, she moved to the west coast, where she got involved with the burgeoning lowbrow art scene and eventually settled in Seattle after meeting her partner in crime and soulmate, Mike Vraney.

Over the years Lisa’s obsession with pop culture grew. Collecting old toys, pin-up art and vintage magazines ultimately inspired her own artwork and she found the perfect format for her imagery – the round bark border of the souvenir wood plaque. "Each slab of wood is lovingly painted with the things she enjoys most and celebrate femininity and all that is cute."

Lisa is now considered to be a part of the Pop Surrealism movement and has been featured in many diverse publications, including her own deluxe art book “Kickass Kuties – The Art of Lisa Petrucci” published by Dark Horse.

For more on Lisa Petrucci, visit her website at http://www.lisapetrucci.com. Her paintings can be viewed inworld at the Slustleria sim at (68, 234, 28).

Shellie Sands