Art Taco: Tonight: First There is a Mountain @ Bleu Acier and Undercover @ Gallry 221 HCC Ybor.

Gregg Perkins: First There is a Mountain

Vernissage: Friday, November 21, 2013, 6:30-9PM

Exhibition: November 21 - December 21, 2013

Bleu Acier is pleased to present First There is a Mountain, an exhibition of recent paintings, prints, and videos by University of Tampa professor Gregg Perkins. The starting point for this exhibition is a photograph of Mont Blanc by the Swiss aerial explorer Walter Mittelholzer. Perkins has played upon and created multiple narratives inspired by Mittelholzer's journeys and his desire to map the world through exploration.

Opening: Thursday November 21st 6:30 -9 PM
in presence of the artist

Thursday November 21st: Gallery talk @ 7:00pm
by Petra Kempf, a New York based Architect
and Urban Designer.

Thursday December 5th: Gallery Talk @ 6:30pm
by Alison Powell, Curator of books at Oxford Exchange in Tampa, Florida
reception to follow

Thursday December 12th: Gallery Talk @ 6:30pm
by Donald Morrill, Dean of Graduate and Continuing Studies, University of Tampa, Tampa, Florida
reception to follow

This exhibition marks a new paradigm for Bleu Acier. We will be marking our territory with a different approach to how we dialogue with our community. Bleu Acier will exhibit mid career and established artists with whom we work in print. The prints will be shown within the oeuvre of the artist. Lectures and readings will be organized in order to place and connect the work to a context, which is both contemporary and active. For more information or images please contact Erika Schneider: 813.215.0622 or erika@bleuacier.com

Gallery Hours during exhibition:
Saturdays: 11-5 PM
Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays: by appointment.

109 West Columbus Drive | Tampa, Florida | 33602
www.bleuacier.com | erika@bleuacier.com

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Gallery 221 has an opening tonight for the photographic work...

Gallery221@HCC presents
undercover

Photography by Wendy Babcox and Selina Roman
November 18 – December 12, 2013

TAMPA, FL - Hillsborough Community College’s Gallery 221 on the Dale Mabry campus opens undercover, photography by Wendy Babcox and Selina Roman on November 18, with an Artist Reception scheduled for Thursday, November 21 from 5 to 7 pm, including an informal Artist Talk around 6 pm. The exhibit will be available through December 12, 2013.

Undercover is an exploration of the colorful, and often times, paradoxical images that appear in plain sight. The bodies of work chosen for this exhibit have a playful tension between them. Where Babcox documents buildings dressed in colored, striped tents for fumigation, and rolling green golf courses with scattered sand traps; Roman dresses figures in colored tights and vintage costumes, and places them in natural landscapes.

The selected pieces of Roman’s work comes from a series titled, “Confidence Tastes Like a Low-Slung Cloud,” part of her thesis work completed for her Master of Fine Arts degree at the University of South Florida. Roman explains that the series “ponders the slow and quiet decay that denial and ignorance cultivates. Among the glittery costumes and saturated colors, something always seems to be ignored or overlooked. It is a playful ignorance that if left unchecked could get out of hand and turn ugly.”

Both bodies of Babcox’s work featured in undercover focus on landscapes that have been controlled in order to make them appear more pleasing to the viewer; much like a mask is used to conceal what we’d rather not reveal. The colorful, circus-like tents used to eradicate destructive pests provide a contradiction to our acuities; they are at the same time cheerful and deadly. Images of golf courses captured in a somewhat abstracted style, convey voluptuous curves and rich textures that are aesthetically pleasing. However, these organic shapes conceal what lies beneath if left uncontrolled.

Babcox received her Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of Colorado and her Master of Fine Arts from the University of Florida. She primarily works in photography and video and currently teaches at the University of South Florida.

For additional information on the artists, visit their respective websites:

http://wendybabcox.com

http://selinaroman.com

PUBLIC PROGRAMS
All programs are free and open to the public. Gallery Reception: Thursday, November 21, 5 p.m. - 7 p.m.; 6 p.m. Artist Talk

Exhibit Invitation attached

GALLERY 221 INFORMATION
Exhibition Title: undercover, photography by Wendy Babcox and Selina Roman

Exhibition Dates: November 18 – December 12, 2013
Location: Gallery 221@HCC, 2nd floor library, Learning Resources Center, Dale Mabry Campus
4001 W. Tampa Bay Blvd., Tampa 33614
Gallery Hours: Monday - Thursday, 8 a.m. – 8 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 8 a.m. - 2 p.m.

Closed Thanksgiving Weekend
Media Contact: Katherine Gibson, Gallery Director; kgibson7@hccfl.edu ;813-253-7386
Website: www.hccfl.edu/gallery221

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