New Bleu Acier show

Opening Reception: Friday, December 28, 6-9pm

Bleu Acier is pleased to present The Greatest, three works by three New York-based artists – Ain Cocke, Chantel Foretich, and Trong G. Nguyen. The exhibition is guest-curated by Carrie Mackin, former director of Covivant Gallery, who chose simply to adorn two walls with a spare selection of small works that invite close engagement.

Ain Cocke’s paintings and drawings question the masculine mold that he and most men were socialized and assimilated into. Using the standard-bearer of testosterone, the military man as his model, Cocke romanticizes the soldier not as an aggressive combatant in the field of battle, but rather an effeminate figure who is seemingly in touch with other “natural orders” of the male mystique.

Chantel Foretich’s miniatures and dioramas recreate memories that, though they may not be so distant, exude the presence of a long, lost bygone era. Their intimate scale allows the viewer an opportunity to experience more fully with contemplation and nostalgia what might have escaped them in real scale and actual time.

Trong G. Nguyen’s contribution to the show is the complete text of Mallarme’s Igitur written word for word on individual grains of rice. The story itself opens with a pure encounter of the reader and his text, in which the mysteries of both open one another to revelation. Perhaps going against the grain of the digitized library, Nguyen’s “book” complicates the relationship of the book as object as knowledge.

Bleu Acier will also be closing Marie Yoho Dorsey’s show: Tales of Old Japan and Other Stories and will be presenting works by gallery artists in the main gallery.

BLEU ACIER INC. is an active fine art print publisher, print atelier, gallery and live-in loft that functions at the intersection of private and public space where art and the city keep company. Bleu Acier exhibits works in all disciplines by emerging, mid-career and established artists from the U.S. and Europe.

BLEU ACIER
109 West Columbus Drive, Tampa, Florida 33602
813.272.9746 | erika@bleuacier.com | www.bleuacier.com
Gallery hours: by appointment.