Irena M., virtually known as Eshi Otawara, Croatian born artist, moved to Louisiana in 2000 where she enrolled at McNeese State University Music Department as a Vocal Performance major. After another year of realizing she lost interest in her childhood dream, she switched her major to Fine Arts. Four years later she earned her Bachelors as a Painter. Irena exhibited her paintings in several local group shows including McNeese State University Art Faculty exhibit. Upon the 2005 Hurricane devastation in Louisiana, she was one of the 50 chosen local artists to represent the state in a touring national exhibit "Sustained Winds - before, during, after". Upon the unexpected death of her husband in 2006, Irena shifted into survival mode. She was forced to take down and roll up most of her paintings and focus on how to dodge a series of losses caused by her prematurely acquired widowhood. Amidst that process, Irena discovered virtual world of Second Life and shifted her creative output to this online environment. |
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As Eshi Otawara, Irena uses authentic Second Life Tools to create immersive virtual spaces, ranging from abstraction to avatar couture. She is known for her collaborative project such as the one-of-a-kind voice sensitive virtual instrument 'Parsec', thought out by Dizzy Banjo (Bob Thomas, London UK), coded by Chase Marellan (Nicholas Chase, US), One Hour Sim Project - a set of eleven daily installations using the area of 256 virtual square meters and 3800 primitive objects formed into art installations of which Flower Tower II was the most successful by drawing in a crowd of nearly 3000 people within 24 hours. Her virtual couture items are a synthesis of sculpture and the impossible to be worn in non-virtual life. She is most proud of the 'Fishook' dress which was auctioned to benefit American Cancer Society in July '08 and reached a bid of 1700 USD (460 000 L$) and thus became the most expensive fashion item to ever be sold at a charity auction in any virtual world. |
