Depth Perception

Artist Molly Bloom is featured in two exhibitions opening this weekend, both entitled Depth Perception. The first opens today, Saturday, December 6 at 7 pm slt at Asperiche Island in the elaborate Chateau d'Ember; the second opens tomorrow, Sunday, December 7 from noon to 2 pm slt at the Rose Art Gallery. [Update: Inara Pey informs me that the Asperiche Island display is one day only! So if you're reading this you probably already missed it.] With subject matter ranging from the erotic to cops and robbers to the fantastic or fanciful, her carefully composed artworks really do play in an exceptional way with our sense of depth: elements appear to emerge from the frame, sometimes crossing its edges and sometimes appearing to thrust toward us, and sometimes (but not always) those things really are three-dimensional extrusions.

In the lowest image here, for example, the raven on the right of the frame is actually part of the flat surface, while in the third image the Bible, the bride's veil and the rifle all emerge from the frame. (And who knows quite what is going on in that triptych — like many of the others, it suggests a curious narrative.) "I've always been fascinated with old masters," Molly told me, "like Carravaggio, Rembrandt, etc., and in real life I can't paint. I'm a glass artist mostly. So, I started playing with lighting and found I could do a decent reproduction of those artists' light and contrast." As for the added elements, "That was cleaning out my mess of inventory, and putting full perm in a folder. And I thought 'wonder if I stick something on a pic?' And the rest just sort of fell into place."

The installation at Asperiche Island (first and fourth images here) is curated by Master Ember, and the opening is black tie. (The sim itself is a home for the gay Gorean community, and looks worthwhile exploring as well.) The beautifully installed show at the Rose (middle two images), curated by Kylie Sabra Angel, is the larger of two. (The Rose offers many additional galleries to explore.) There's a small amount of duplication between the two exhibitions, but you'll certainly want to visit both locations for a complete experience.