In the Meta Review series we explore the world of meta exhibitions, pick up the most interesting ones and provide the editorial reviews to draw more attention to them and document them as a part of web3 history.
The exhibition of this edition is Skeleton Dance curated by @thecommodore0x.
We take our first steps in a dark space that resembles a sewer. The underground kingdom of Hades is the realm of the dead. The silence is broken by the haunting first notes of Hans Zimmer's “Who’s They?”.
Indeed, who’s they? "They" are watching us through CCTV cameras, just like in the works of mmiro.eth and Tankuss.
But it's not just who They are that matters. The most important question is who We are.
The title of the exhibition sounds like Skeleton Dance, referring us to the classic allegorical subject in the art of Dance of Death about the frailty of human existence.
Interesting fact: one of the sources of inspiration for the exhibition has become “The Skeleton Dance“ animation released in 1929
And of course, one of the themes is the consideration of life and its meaning when discussing death, and how to preserve this meaning. Humans are weak creatures: we enter this world seeking pleasure and constantly pursue it. We chase after money, fame measured by likes and shares, and power. All of this represents the blind fulfillment of the ego's desires and is akin to death itself.
However, the Skeleton Dance is not solely about this. Even in the title, the Commodore emphasizes other aspects. Our attention is not solely on death itself, nor on human life or its mortality. Or rather, not only on that. We are interested in the skeleton and what remains of a person after death.
Is it only the skull and bones?
We enter this life, we meet people, we find loved ones. We love and receive love. Love is not just an emotion. It arises not in consciousness but before consciousness. This energy is a natural extension of ourselves into our innermost depths.
In the mortal material world, it becomes corrupted by ego desires, which create the illusion of division, disconnection, and individualism.
However, the reality is different - we are the one, and it is the feeling and energy of love that reminds us of that in this material life. We are love, and when we die, we are purified, returning to the default state of pure energy that transcends space and time. After the greatest illusion of separation, we strive for oneness. There is no more "I," only "We." But are We Them?
Does it look like a way out of the matrix? In this exhibition space, we can observe that the art embodies the cyberpunk style, which inevitably adds another layer to the context of the questions we are asking. What is a human being in the era of total digitalization, technological progress, AI, and digital identity?
So, what happens after the digital identity dies? What remains of the person at the death in the digital space? A digital footprint? Perhaps. But can it transmit love? The answer can be quite sentimental. After all, the expression of love in the digital space is nothing but digital art. The cycle is closed.
Featured artists of Skeleton Dance:
MintFace, uczine, smokestacks, doe, Sunken0x, A. L. Crego, **𝕏ˣ, **vectorz3r0, Natived, Slava3ngl, perfectloop.tez., Parabolaarborea, ojovivo, Kopfgestaltung, PHOSPHOR OPERATOR, Vesper, 1mpo$ter, No0where, Ripred, Explainer Gallery, Scamart, Lex Doom, Bombadil, krush.tez, OsipenkovNFTs, TTTVVV, Daliesquee, Gogolitus, Spøgelsesmaskinen, spell, Whalesink, kevd, Arctic, cellonft, Lord, Francoise Gamma, rust, MIRO, DK, Ｋ１７７ＢＯＹ, OUR Osman 3.0, Tankuss, PunksDistorted, Mickrenders, PIXELORD, cap'n, @BixpixX93964, ex_mortal_, GLITCH TOWN ARCADE, Weary, ORGNLPLN, Majesty88, KabbalahMonster, Solemn, GlitChess, alien, yogik, HOXID, erkan え, KING XEROX, bluretina, Ksenia Buridanova, 𝕏elda Jara, Gruff, Limbo, alperaym, Asa, Gabriel Nebular, mayoo, Dither, Macbeth, Elfilter, vstrvl, CUDA, Glitch Witch, Violet7rip, Jac, VANDALS, OgBØN, troutxyz, Brian Henry, Fawkek, killstrike, grecu, ka.lao.hmong, Stalomir, HASHY, 0x3y3, Compusophy, OuvreClog, Poppel, nicolavilla, Erwän, xo, -Grim.eth, Myujii, onlyoneswhoknow, Kero, Drsuss, nightmancom, Sasha Flyer, FlexasuarusRex La Creme, AIN'T NOTHIN, acid star