PALM BEACH - When he's not painting on a canvas, Reza
is out at the firing range shooting bullets into
it. For his next major work, the Persian-born artist is considering asking
the U.S. Army to fire a couple of cannon rounds at it.
If this sounds like a violent art, it is. But it still works. After
all, the 43-year-old Reza (no last name, please) grew up to the sounds of
gunfire during the Shah's regime, so he knows how to depict violence
without sensationalizing it.
He also knows how to use it sparingly. In past exhibits, you could walk
by a 9-foot-long illustration of a Nestle Crunch Bar only to be confronted
with a painting of a WWII concentration camp. And he's promising more of
the same when his latest showing opens Tuesday, March 16 at WPB's
Northwood University. So expect more candy bars (he's done a Mounds, too)
and maybe a piece on the invasion of Afghanistan - side by side.
This just may explain why the exhibit - a weird mix of paintings,
sculptures, video, and even mobiles (you know, what babies play with in
their cribs) - is titled "Chocolate Covered World."
Rez, who lives on Singer Island, is earning a statewide reputation for
innovative art that really works. He's been lauded by art critics from The
Miami Herald, The Tampa Tribune and Palm Beach Post to name a few. And now
his rep is going national (he's quite proud of that write-up in Southfield
Eccentric in Southfield, Michigan).
So is this how Monet started? We figure this is a good place to remind
you that eight Monet paintings are on exhibit at the Norton Gallery, just
across town from Northwood University. It runs through the end of March,
and oddly enough, it costs $8 - a buck per painting. Make sure you stand
there gazing at each one for a lonnnng time.
Reza's "Chocolate Covered World" runs
from March 16 to April 23 at the North wood University, 2600 N. Military
Trail. Opening-day activities start at 4 p.m. with live outdoor music.
Call (407) 844-5856.
Monet runs Tuesday-Sunday through March 31. Call
(407) 832-5194.
Photos: Reza's "Chocolate Strawberry
Shortcake" and "Damn War, Chemical Bombing of Kurds."
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