Hyde Park Fine Arts To Host Fresh Performance By Non Grata

TAMPA - It's anybody's guess what might be going on behind the doors of Hyde Park Fine Arts on Friday night.

The gallery is hosting a performance by the Europe-based group Non Grata, an artists' collective that defies categorization.

"I would say that it is both overtly and covertly social and political commentary, and also quite surreal, frequently humorous, a little dark," said curator Catherine "Cat" Thompson, who has met several of the group's members. "I haven't seen them perform. But I would say that on a historical basis, their work is closely connected to Joseph Beuys and other European collective artist groups."

Beuys was a German teacher and artist who gained notoriety in the 1960s for his unusual performances onstage and in galleries.

"They actually came and looked at the space in order to decide what to do with it," Thompson said. "They don't work from a script. It's a very intuitive process, and it's a different group of people each time, and every person has input.

"And every performance is different, which for me makes it even more fun," she said.

The performance is from 6 p.m. to midnight, but guests can come and go. Admission is free, and refreshments will be available.

The gallery, at 1608 Snow Ave. in Hyde Park Village, also will exhibit still photographs and videos from previous performances.

Call Thompson at (813) 240-0269 for information.

Paper Works Depict 'Liquid World'

Local artist Elizabeth Condon is showcased in "Liquid World," an exhibit of new works on paper at Bleu Acier from Saturday through March 8.

An assistant professor of painting and drawing at the University of South Florida, Condon finds inspiration in the natural light and flora of Florida as well as that of her childhood home, Los Angeles.

Her style borrows from techniques used in Chinese landscape painting. She starts by pouring paint. She then sketches into the paint, collage fashion, places she has lived or visited. The interplay of color and lines conveys a sense of wandering though landscapes.

Meet Condon and see her work at the free opening reception from 6 to 9 p.m. Saturday at the gallery, 109 W. Columbus Drive. She will offer a talk and gallery walk at 5 p.m.

Call Bleu Acier at (813) 272-9746 for information.

Show Focuses Lens On Polaroid Photos

"Instant Gratification," an exhibition and installation of Polaroid photographs by national and international artists, runs from Friday through Feb. 29 at 1906 N. Armenia Ave, Studio 211.

Hosted by the collective known as 5 art, the show includes 100 images by 26 artists displayed together on a grid. As pieces are sold and removed, the installation changes.

"It will be a grid with some missing spaces," said Tracy Midulla Reller, the collective's director. The works, all about 3-by-4-inches, are priced from $5 to $200.

Among the Florida artists featured are Elizabeth Atkins, Allen Hampton, Lisa Harasiuk, Laura Mendes, Thomas Stead and Joshua Velong. Other artists include Diran Lyons from California, Robert Ricardo from New York, and Keaton Taylor and Tiffany Teske from Canada.

Meet the artists and see their work from 6 to 10 p.m. Friday at the free opening reception, which includes light refreshments and a souvenir Polaroid snapshot.

For information, call (813) 340-9056 or go to www.five-art.com.

Tampa Realistic Artists Hosts Inaugural Show

Tampa Realistic Artists, which meets and holds workshops in the Old Hyde Park Art Center, hosts its first "Bay Area Art Show" through March 14 at the center.

More than $1,500 in cash and merchandise will be awarded for best of show and first place in four other categories: oil and acrylics; watercolors; photographs; and mixed media, pastels and everything else.

The group hopes the show becomes an annual event.

Meet the artists and see their works at the free opening reception from 6 to 10 p.m. Friday at the center, 705 Swann Ave.

Call (813) 251-3780 for hours and information.