Some days ago, in a conversation with some friends, someone said: “Art Galleries are the new Sex Clubs, Casinos or Banks of Second Life”. Of course who said that was not meaning Art Galleries were a scam or something, just that someway, there are a lot of Galleries, like one new every week. Not small galleries of people showing their own stuff or small shows, i mean “big” ones, or ones selling “exclusive” works for high prices (around 5000 L$ for a frame with an image).

All this made me think about some stuff, is right to sell my images for 5000 L$ losing part (or even all) my rights over them? or more that if it’s right, is what i want? should be “art” for sale? does a creation stop being “art” once you start selling copies and copies? This are tough questions. First, i’m not sure what i’m doing is “art” (that will need a complete definition of Art and that is not easy) at least every image i create… maybe just a few are but not all for sure, and second, i’m quite reluctant to lose rights over my creation (like the right of showing it publicly).

I presume is just i don’t understand “art” as a business, i don’t create images for selling them, just for me, to express myself, to enjoy creating them, to share with friends… Some of that “5000L$” galleries are asking for a 50% commission. Under my point of view that is crazy, a 50% for nothing? I may understand a 50% commission in RL due the difficulties of art distribution and the work that involves, but in Second Life, where anyone can build his own place to show his work possibly in a better place than a gallery (because the artworks will be in a context) 50% is way too much under my point of view. 50% of commission would mean the work of the artist is the same of the work of the Gallery owner, and that’s crazy under my point of view.

I had exhibitions on contracts or conditions i don’t want to have anymore sometimes, so i decided what will be my way to show my “art” inworld from now:

• Just will show my works in galleries were i can rez myself my frames, or using a frame provided by the gallery where i can add my texture. This way i won’t give full permissions textures to art galleries.
• I won’t sell my work anymore in exclusivity, because i want to keep my exclusive rights as creator.

In this moment i’m “resident artist” in Vain Inc. Gallery. I consider Nyla and Toko (gallery owners) good friends, i like and believe in their project for the gallery, something non commercial, where works are not for sale, where every artist have freedom but at the same time works as a collaborative space. I consider it the best gallery in Second Life for all that reasons. Vain Inc. is not the only gallery in SL with a “non-commercial” philosophy, there are some more around, mainly owned by people that has a business in SL and uses part of the earnings to maintain a gallery, just because they love creation or art. I prefer to keep working with this kind of galleries.