The Council on Culture and Arts presents- The Back of Beyond
COCA presents-
The Back of Beyond: Artworks by Carrie Ann Baade, MANDEM & James Mazza
on display from September 18 – November 4, 2013
Artists continually look to push the boundaries of creativity and local artists, Carrie Ann Baade, MANDEM and James Mazza are no exception. Gleaning inspiration from subculture, personal experience, literature, mythology and art history, each has developed a style entirely their own. Working in a wide range of media, subject matter, and conceptual approaches, these artists highlight the fine line between weird and wonderful.
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Carrie Ann Baade’s highly acclaimed oil paintings are allegorical narratives set in surreal landscapes. She references old Renaissance and Baroque images, creating new characters from them. The resulting artworks are far more entertaining than the old paintings from which they are derived. Baade passes along her knowledge as an Associate Professor of Art at FSU where she teaches techniques of the old masters.
MANDEM is the art-name for Maize Arendsee and her life-partner, Moco Steinman-Arendsee. The two of them work collaboratively to create artworks that originate with digital techniques and often incorporate traditional mediums such as oil paint. MANDEM’s artwork features characters that blur the lines between genders and between humans, animals, and machines. Informed by antiquities, mythography and literary theory, the pieces have a strong storytelling aspect. With a style MANDEM describes as ”Mythpunk Noir,” the alternative histories depicted are a playful imagining of a world of mythic characters.
James Mazza creates digital collages that imply constant change through his method of layering and blending textures. Using a variety of photographs and scanned images of items such as fabric and junk store finds, he creates works that evolve with the audience and gain new meanings with every viewing. Mazza has always sought solace in imagination and fantasy and he grew up with a love for movies and comics. Mazza is able to condense that same sense of transportation that he experienced as a child, in his artwork.
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On display at the City Hall Art Gallery are more than 45 wondrous and bizarre artworks that are firmly rooted in the surreal. Come along for the ride and bring an open mind. The back of beyond is waiting for you.
♦ Meet the artists and enjoy refreshments at the exhibit reception on Friday, Oct. 18, 2013 from 6:00 pm to 7:30 pm ♦
◊ The City Hall Art Gallery is located on the second floor of City Hall at 300 South Adams Street and is open Monday through Friday, 8:00 am – 5:30 pm. All exhibitions in this space are free and open to the public. ◊
For more information about this exhibition, upcoming exhibitions, or the Art inPublic Places program, contact Amanda Karioth Thompson at COCA, (850) 224-2500 or amanda@cocanet.org.
http://jamesmazza.com
http://mythpunkart.com
http://www.carrieannbaade.com