Opening Reception to be Held on Friday, February 22nd from 7-9 pm
Tampa, Fla. (January 29, 2019) – CASS Contemporary is pleased to announce its newest exhibition, Make Believe. The exhibit will feature new artwork of eight international, well-respected artists who are experts in their mediums. It will run through April 19th, with an opening reception with the artists on Friday, February 22 from 7-9 p.m. at CASS Contemporary (2722 S. MacDill Ave., Tampa, 33629). During the event, guests can view new work by participating artists and enjoy live music, complimentary drinks from The Mandarin Hide and Rock Brothers Brewing, and bites from Remedy. The event is free of charge and open to the public.
Media is invited to attend.
Immediately following the reception, Remedy (400 N. Ashley Dr., Tampa, 33602) will host an after party. Attendees with a CASS stamp from the exhibit will enjoy a complimentary open bar.
Artists to be featured in the show include Christian Blanxer (Spain), Collin van der Sluijs (Holland), Eric Basstein (Holland), Florian Eymann (France), Jaybo Monk (Germany), Michal Mraz (Czech Republic) and Sam Octigan (Holland), and Joram Roukes (Australia).
Born in Barcelona, Christian Blanxer art demonstrates his hunger for discovering new paths, spontaneous brush stroke, and the intensity in his color perception. The impressionist light and the poetical beat of the expressive stain define Blanxer’s creative rut. Most of his works reproduce human actions, from ordinary to more surrealistic situations. While he attempts to be impartial as possible he allows the emotions to arise freely. Thereby, showcasing a constantly evolving work.
Dutch artist Collin van der Sluijs’ work depicts both personal pleasures and the struggles of daily life. His work has been published in magazines, books, and shown in galleries and project-spaces or walls in The Netherlands, Germany, France, England, Belgium, the U.S., Luxembourg, Italy, United Kingdom, and Spain.
After making a name for himself over 10 years in the music scene as a DJ and an illustrator throughout the Netherlands, Dutch artist Eric Basstein took his experience from his musical background with him and put all of his focus in his paintings. Inspired by the similarities between art and music, the way modern music is created by combining samples just like paintings are constructed by layering imagery, he developed a process that uses this approach when constructing work. Combining images from fashion magazines with a piece of a comic book illustration or a part of classic painting, felt similar to sampling a bass line or snare when creating hip-hop music. Eric’s blend of the historical and modern is sublime. His paintings blends realist figurative work inspired by old masters with abstractions taken from comic books and fashion. His work combines contemporary and classical references to create an astonishingly resonant dialogue with the viewer.
French artist Florian Eymann studied classical music since early childhood as a form of academic self-expression. He has now transitioned his focus into pictorial territories by keeping a like-minded spirit for his exploration. His experimentation triggers one to disorientate with rout, nevertheless the dark themes which he exploits will unveil themselves in the course of their declensions. Faces, expressions, marks of time are deconstructed and reinterpreted with a quite particular attention. Form and content become confused, freed from the academic influences which often challenges the self-taught. He guides us to discover that the representational standards can transcend by explosive and abstract touches of paint which partially camouflage the work and thus let the imagination be carried away.
Jaybo Monk left his family home in the South of France at the age of 14 and moved to Kreuzberg, Berlin in the early eighties, where he gained experience as a graffiti artist, street actor and hip-hop musician. Since then, he has been exploring the creative world in myriad directions. Jaybo has been involved in fashion, founding the Irie Daily streetwear company. He also created a culture magazine called Style in the Early 90’s. Both enterprises have been influential on Berlin’s youth culture and fashion community. Even today, urban subculture remains the driving force behind all of his artistic activities. Monk also is a member of the Agents of Change with artists Kofie, Derm, Remi/Rough, and many more.
Michal Mraz is an artist from Bratislava. His work bridges the gap between modern stencil realism and graffiti. Inspired by nature, urban life style, graffiti and pop culture, Michal’s bold, representational work is simultaneously accessible and stimulating. Mraz studied on Academy of Fine Arts and Design, Atelier J. Hoffstadter in Bratislava, Slovakia. In 2012, his work was nominated for the Artaq Urban Art Award in Paris.
Australian artist Sam Octigan typically centers his painting on canvas, exploring the intersection of narrative and abstract form. Endlessly fascinated from a young age with the visual image and how we as humans connect to it, his current work seeks to delve deeper into the alchemy of what makes an arresting image to an audience, while exploring his own personal interests in memory, history, growth, home and truth.
Joram Roukes is a Dutch fine artist, best known for his large oil paintings where he is blending various stylistic elements and references to sub cultural group as well as popular culture, while insisting on comprehensive and colorful compositions. His works have been shown throughout Europe with shows in Copenhagen and London.
To schedule media interviews, please email Brooke Palmer-Kuhl at brookep@rsbpevents.com or call 727.235.2389.
About CASS Contemporary
CASS is a Tampa-based art gallery focusing on modern, collectible art pieces from local, regional, national and international artists. CASS presents various exhibitions throughout the year and offers lectures and workshops from emerging and established artists. The gallery also provides art-consulting services to individual collectors, as well as boutiques, banks, hospitals, restaurants and other businesses. In addition to assisting clients in selecting and purchasing artwork, the CASS mission is to provide a space for individuals to view and appreciate an array of art and engage in the art community. The gallery is open Tues. – Fri. from 11 a.m. – 5 p.m., and Sat. from 11 a.m. – 4 p.m.
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