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Review
{from November, 2008}

Sledge Roffo
The Gallery of the Minotaur
and 

Sachi Nozaki

Dark Side of the Moon Gallery

Last week we picked the work of Sledge Roffo, and there is an update of interest. Sachi Nozaki and Sledge have  communicated with me, saying they were partners until recently, and developed this methodology together. 

It is often interesting to see how two artists explore a similar paradigm. As a child I spent a lot of time at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City, where my mother, a member, often took me for lunch. One of my strongest memories is of two cubist paintings that hung next to each other, similar in size, style, subject and coloration, one by Braque and the other by Picasso. Knowing that two artists made these similar works made me look for the differences that gave clues to each artist's viewpoint.

Of course, it's not quite the same in this case. Within the Second Life® virtual world we don't really know who the artists are, unless they make that part of their presentation, as with Filthy Fluno (Jeffrey Lipsky). Many artists have produced works using several in-world identities. We can trace the aesthetic influences and paths of both Picasso and Braque. With Sledge and Sachi, we see only what is offered with the attribution of these identities. There are links below to both galleries, so you can look for yourself and see the results of the exploration of this methodology.


Above: ArtWorld Market views Sachi Nozaki's work
 at Dark Side of the Moon

The term "still life" can be applied to the approach. Both Sledge and Sachi use the term "Primagery," coined by Sledge to identify this methodology. Sculptural forms are assembled, and snapshots are taken from selected viewpoints and lighting variations. The exhibition at Sledge's "Gallery of the Minotaur" includes one of the 3-D assemblages that was used to produce the 2-D works. 


Above: Sledge Roffo at The Gallery of the Minotaur

The resulting abstract images vary from near monochromatic with subtle gradations of shade to highly saturated interactions of form and formlessness.


Above: Sledge Roffo's "Primagery."

Teleport to Gallery of the Minotaur
Teleport to Dark Side of the Moon

 

©2009 Richard Minsky