Wednesday, December 28, 2011

Private Opening of 1000 Central

Work by Geff Strik



It is hard to find, or even see from Central. I missed it the first time around, yet inside it is huge. The building is more than a century old and used to be a banana warehouse. Basically two giant rooms with 2-story ceilings. In the rear room is a cash bar that was being tended by the media liaison (seems redundant). After asking where the artist was, I found Geff Strik, a handsome and well-dressed European man. The space is to be his roomy 4,000 sq. ft. studio, but Geff wants it to multi-task for other arts purposes, such as theater rehearsals, meetings, art events, parties, a place to discuss ideas and help move the arts scene in St Pete to a new place.



DJ Decibel Nation




In a corner of the first room, DJ Decibel Nation was effortlessly laying down great sound. [Link]. (Photo courtesy of Lydia Gottardi Photography, copyright 2011, all rights reserved).






 
Interior view, 1000 Central
I ask about the work on the walls. "They're all sold" is the reply. Is there a website related to his work? "No, I have international representation", all in a charming, sophisticated manner and beautiful French accent. Geff tells me he paints, and his rep sells the paintings at art auctions twice a year. His career includes credits like Artistic Head for Guerlain and for Estee Lauder. The paintings are mostly large monochromes of celebrities derived from well-known photographs. Strik adds his own touch, accentuating expressions and eliminating backgrounds.



The space looks as if it is geared mostly for parties, but I have a feeling Strik has some creative surprises in store for the community.  This was a great debut, now I look forward to seeing what he does next.





--- Luis





1 comment:

  1. Thanks so much to stop by my studio , i will not hesitate to give you an update on some new event coming at my working place for this new year coming .
    We have now a 1000 Central facebook page and very soon a website .

    Next auction in Paris in May for the Cannes movie festival , a working trip to Cuba and maybe Venezuela and Dubai begining of 2012 , so a lot of good stuff coming





    Happy New Year and i hope to see you soon.

    Geff Strik

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