“PinchukArtCentre announced 21 young artists nominated for the Future Generation Art Prize 2010.

The Future Generation Art Prize established by the Victor Pinchuk Foundation is a major new international competition for artists up to 35 to discover and provide long-term support for a generation of emerging artists, wherever they may live and work [...] http://www.futuregenerationartprize.org/”

Next Autumn RMB City takes part in the 29th Bienal de São Paulo, Brazil.
“There is always a cup of sea to sail in” is the title of this year’s Biennale: a quotation from the Brazilian poet Jorge de Lima’s major work Invenção de Orfeu (1952). Exploring the inextricable interconnections between art and politics, the event aims at investigating the role of art in contemporary society and its constant power of reinventing new reality, or as Lima’s poem goes: “the power to sail on even without ships / even without waves and sand”.
What is this endless urge of poetry and art to express themselves in new forms? And what is their relation with politics and earthly contingencies?
RMB City and another approximately 160 artists from all around the world will disclose their positions from next September, so stay tuned for more information!

For more info see:  http://www.fbsp.org.br/29_bienal-en.html

Photo by George Shuba

Dear Molly,

following up your outstanding performance at RMB City “Naked Idol” event, we would like to ask you a few questions. Are you ready to undress your imagination once more?

1. What does nudity represent to you both in the real and the virtual dimension?

“Would you let me walk down your street
Naked if I want to?” – Moby Grape, 1967

I think of the soldier standing naked at the entrance to the asylum in the film Le Roi de Coeur. http://www.renesch.com/images/king_of_hearts%20poster.jpg

I think of Jim Morrison surrounded by police on stage after being suspected of exposing himself.

I think of the covers of “nudist” magazines on city newsstands years ago. They always seemed to be playing volleyball.

Considering Second Life nudity the first thing I think of is the inevitable noob walking around naked.

I have seen nude beaches in Second Life where no one is naked. Nudity in Second Life is I think something that every resident has thought about. We are simply pixels yet nearly no one would allow themselves to be seen without clothing.

I remember logging on once. Many sims were down. People were rezzing in welcome areas instead of their normal locations. 40 people in one place. Lag making it impossible to move or teleport away. Nearly nothing was rezzing. I snapped some pictures and posted one on the SL Flickr group. My photo was removed by a moderator for violating the no nudity rule in spite of the fact that those there looked like dozens of grey, featureless mannequins piled into a closet.

My own first experience with public nudity in Second Life occurred while I was setting up a snapshot. I was making an avatar parody photo of Duchamp’s painting Nude Descending a Staircase No. 2. I was adjusting poses in the set I had built for the photo when I thought I had crashed. Actually the sim had gone down. I restarted and rezzed naked in the Ahern Welcome Area rather than my previous location. I quickly flew up 300 meters and put on some clothes.

2. How would you describe your Naked Tour through RMB City and what do you think is the true and bare nature of the island?

I have been interested in RMB City since it was first announced. It’s cosmopolitan mixture of old and new and of east and west is exciting. Still emerging from the time of Mao yet facing the future. This is the sense I have of RMB City and it influenced my choice of avatar I used for the naked idol event.

3. What do you think a ‘Naked Idol’ is or should be? A moment of transgression, embarrassment, freedom or what more?

I approached the event as a “fun” event. I wanted to participate and I wanted to see what others would do. I had planned to have a Guan Yin like avatar riding on a bed of swirling clouds and carrying auspicious objects. The event was for me a challenge rather than a contest. I was disappointed that I didn’t finish what I had planned. I instead arrived to see what the others had done.

I feel the event did allow the participants to explore the idea of what does it really mean to be naked in a pixelated world.

-Molly Montale

Dear Vivienne,

following up your outstanding performance at RMB City “Naked Idol” event, we would like to ask you a few questions. Are you ready to undress your imagination once more?

1. What does nudity represent to you both in the real and the virtual dimension?

In the real world it represents vulnerability and lack of pretence; in a virtual environment, there’s something more of artifice about it (as there is with all of our self-representations in virtual space); nudity in a virtual space is in some ways less vulnerable and yet possibly more exposed (as we appear here not as we are but as we would like to be).

2. How would you describe your Naked Tour through RMB City and what do you think is the true and bare nature of the island?

As a collective expression of fantasy and imagination given reality in pixels.

3. What do you think a ‘Naked Idol’ is or should be? A moment of transgression, embarrassment, freedom or what more?

Not transgression nor embarrassment; freedom, yes…and in a virtual context a visible challenge to preconceived bourgeois ideas of nudity as necessarily a sexual rather than creative or individualistic expression.

Thank you very much, see you!

Gianna, RMB City

June 16-20, 2010

Intrigued glances, embarrassed remarks on the absurdity of virtual love, enthusiastic reactions from the technology pros and an amazing response from the dazed younger audience. This is how “RMB City Opera” went on stage on one of the most prominent international modern art events of the world, the scary bogeyman ‘Basel Art Fair’.

It certainly provoked some reactions and it left a mark among the thousands of works by more than 2,500 different artists. In a constant dialogue with its booth comrades (ranging from disparate art expressions, from Ming Wong’s ‘world cinema’ to Duan Jianyu’s ineffable daily life oil paintings) the “Opera” charmed the public with its unique conjugation of entertaining aspects and more serious and intense comments on society and individuals.

If you sat down for a while and just listened to the music, you could almost feel surrounded by these glorious Red Army soldiers of the old Chinese ballets and fly over Basel skyline hand in hand with a charming black costumed Neo.

Look up to the sky next time you’re in Switzerland, you may see me flying with China Tracy and a bunch of awesome dancers from our second world!

see full article at http://nwn.blogs.com/nwn/2010/06/live-nude-avatars.html#more

In her opening remarks, China Tracy mused: “RMB City began on the premise of distance: between first life and second life; between real people and avatars; between realities that penetrate dreams and dreams that project onto realities; between visible and invisible, between you and me.”

Is there a distance between our bodies and ourselves? Naked Idol encouraged its participants to attempt to bridge that gap, and the result was many an exposed, uncensored, creative soul. Our grand prize winner, Vivienne Graves, was adorned with tattoos and a pair of cat legs. When asked about her inspiration for her naked skin, as well as how it feels different to be naked than otherwise, she remarked “I identify with a lot of traits that are considered ‘feline’: independence, curiosity, playfulness…and the avatar is a way to represent that….as a catgirl it’s possibly more an expression of something a bit feral and untamed?”

Well said, Vivienne. Our first runner-up, Molly Montale, fit right into RMB City with a high-tech, shiny, glittery skin with Chinese characters scrolling across it. She explained that her “nakedness” was representative of “21st century China”, in that the country has “the advantage to move strongly into the future”. Our second runner-up, Ford Roffo, took a decidedly Simian approach. His monkey suit avatar skin provided some laughs, and lots of inspiration, when he explained “I am already a human in RL, why come in here where I can be ANYTHING in the world, and a lot not in this world, and just choose to be a human again?”

Congratulations to all of our excellent, and stunning, naked participants: Jose Ravenheart, Storm Vayander, najlah Jewell, Tersa Vella, Vax Sirnah, Pussycat Catnap, Nella Boccara, GoSpeed Racer, Sonya Swindlehurst, Eleri Ethaniel. Finally, thanks to our three judges, who didn’t look so bad in the nude either, if I do say so myself!

We encourage you all to go untamed!

Group Shot! Naked Idol in RMB City: Prize Winners and Judges

Grand Prize Winner Vivienne Graves

Naked Idol Competitors (Face the Judges)

Great Ass!

Second Runner-Up Ford Roffo

RMB City is holding a Naked Contest in SL.
On June 13, 2010 (8pm SLT) come naked. Naked could be anything! Undressed or overexposed. Highly costumed or almost invisible.

The winner wins 30000 L$
Judging panel: Hamlet Au, Rodion Resistance & China Tracy

‘Naked Idol’ is a statement of freedom. We want you to:

• UNDRESS YOUR IMAGINATION
• SET YOUR AVATAR FREE
• COME NAKED THE WAY YOU FEEL YOU ARE

Rules:

1. Join the “Naked Idol” Second Life group!
2. Come to People’s Park (RMB City 3 105, 129, 22 (Mature)) on June 13, 2010, 8pm SLT.
3. After assembling in People’s Park, the Naked flash mob will travel to five sites in RMB City for a naked dance. Our panel of judges will select the best naked avatar.
4. The fight for the ultimate Naked Idol will be held in People’s Park, where the selected avatars will be asked to perform their personal Naked Show
5. May the best avatar win!
6. As a hailing homage to our winner we will finally hold a SL naked tour outside RMB City

We’ve been looking everywhere, wandered about the city and inspected any secret spots of the island but we couldn’t find you. Where are you, WangGuowei Wasp???                              Reliable sources and undeniable clues tell us you’re still there, hiding from who knows what or whom, or maybe playing a merciless game to trick us all.                                                       RMB City’s celebrated storyteller HuFang Scribe had some interesting insights about the poet’s disappearance and he wove an absorbing discussion with Mayor E3a Digital about this mysterious story:

Here’s an extract of their SL chat:

[1:18]  E3a Digital: I would like to know why Wangguowei’s ghost chose to come to RMB City

[1:19]  Hufang Scribe: I hope it’s a kind of re-birth for him, who is considered as the last intellectual

[1:19]  Hufang Scribe: at the beginning of Chinese modernity

[1:29]  Hufang Scribe: mountain and water, i think RMB City captures the spirit of  Chinese classical landscape painting, that’s probably one of the reasons why Wangguowei would like to stay here

[1:29]  Hufang Scribe: water is a metaphor of floating energy

[1:30]  E3a Digital: And the mountain?

[1:31]  Hufang Scribe: and the mountain is the balance of this energy

[1:32]  Hufang Scribe: they have to be togher, but urban is the space

[1:33]  Hufang Scribe: where the high raised buildings are actually replacing the mountains

[1:34]  Hufang Scribe: While the Chinese landscape painting, suggests an ideal state of life

[1:57]  E3a Digital: Is Wanguowei a hero?

[1:59]  Hufang Scribe: he doesn’t want to be , but the time pushed him to be, I think that’s one of the reasons why he committed suicide

[2:09]  Hufang Scribe: did you notice these sheep?

[2:13]  Hufang Scribe: they’re called Yugong

[2:13]  Hufang Scribe: they can bring rain, and in WangGowei’s story, they become very sad after his disappearance

[2:16]  gianna Yebut: what’s this tower and why are we here?

[2:17]  Jia Nootan: perfect for dancing!

[2:20]  Hufang Scribe: Maybe he stopped for a while on the L-shaped balcony of the CCTV Tower and sat at a solitary table, facing an empty chair, delicacies laid out before him but no one to share his wine with. Maybe he followed the Changjiang River as it flowed to the sea, looking for the most peaceful retreat this city could offer. Like a traveller in a traditional Chinese landscape painting, no bigger than a fingernail, wandering between river and mountains.

[2:23]  E3a Digital: Hufang, try the Vodka. You can drink it.

2:27]  Hufang Scribe: here the detective wants to get some clues from the boss of the hotel, because Wang Guowei lived nearby in the urban village

[2:27]  E3a Digital: I now have a hangover..

[2:27]  Hufang Scribe: yes, totally

[2:42]  Hufang Scribe: rents have been raised so much within the urban developement, so the the urban village is the temporary urban solution for young immigrants, poets, musicians, artists as well

[2:44]  Zilla Warrhol: this is my favorite spot

[2:44]  Zilla Warrhol: its very mystical

[2:48]  gianna Yebut: do you think wanguowei found some anwers here?

[2:52]  Hufang Scribe: master Q helped the detective a lot to find Wangguowei’s traces…

[2:59]  gianna Yebut: this is a field, and a grave at the same time…..

[2:59]  gianna Yebut: ….for a while I thought Wangguowei was buried here…

[3:00]  Hufang Scribe: no, it’s for Leman Brothers

[3:01]  Drama Emor: who its leman?

[3:01]  Drama Emor: from USA?

[3:01]  Hufang Scribe: it’s the place to bury captialism

[3:02]  gianna Yebut: or a place to bury any -ism

[3:03]  Hufang Scribe: yes, and it’s also a self-sufficient farming system

[3:04]  Hufang Scribe: this is the place where the detective met Marx and asked him some questions

[3:08]  Jia Nootan: yeah, what is coming out from the bottle?

[3:08]  gianna Yebut: this is where all the city’s dirt flows together

[3:09]  Hufang Scribe: water again, here the detective met China Tracy and learnt what RMB city means

[3:09]  China Tracy: 对不起，我可能无法告诉你更多的，因为第二人生没有记忆；但这个城市，始终在延伸，没有尽头，所有的一切都将飘向远方……

Sorry, I can’t tell you more, because this Second Life has no memory. This city continues to stretch, there is no end. Everything flows far far away….

[3:10]  Zilla Warrhol: i wonder what it would be like to have no memory

[3:14]  gianna Yebut: wow this place is beautiful!!!!

[3:14]  Jia Nootan: if I were wangguowei, I would choose to live here

[3:14]  Hufang Scribe: yes, but Wang Guowei has left, to where, we don’t know

[3:15]  gianna Yebut: are there places like this in RL?

[3:15]  Hufang Scribe: i don’t think so,maybe RMB City is the best context for his rebirth,

[3:17]  Hufang Scribe: let’s enjoy here and think about Wang GUowei’s spirit

This is an open-end story, and like an oral tale whispered around a bonfire in times gone by, it still requires many tellers to be solved

Dear citizens, may WangGuowei’s spirit lights your way…

Diana Picasso in RMB City Office

The 17th Biennale of Sydney takes place in different venues around Sydney Harbour, including: Cockatoo Island, Pier 2/3, Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney Opera House, Royal Botanic Gardens and Artspace.

Together with other 120 works form 56 different artists, RMB City is exhibited in Cockatoo Island, a former prison and shipyard imbued with historical reminiscences and suggestions.

photos@William Chan

For more info: http://www.bos17.com/

We invite you to take part in this new irreverent project and ask you to investigate your nakedness in SL.

Can you imagine this superb scene of many avatars flying naked over the city?

They laugh and dance, exhibiting their boldly huge breasts and deformed long tails. Some of them are falling into pieces, or walking around as bare skeletons, some of them are even losing their human shapes and resemble more the clouds in the sky or a gentle symphony in the air.

We invite you to ‘get naked’ beyond your physical limitations and to reincarnate your avatar into a new form of higher freedom.

…stay tuned for more info…

http://status.secondlifegrid.net