One of NEO's most striking and fascinating galleries, Convivium33, is featuring, as its first anniversary showing, Evolution 1964-2006, an exciting retrospective of the work of globally appreciated mixed-media artist and Case University art professor Christopher Pekoc, curated and catalogued by prolific author and Case art history professor Henry Adams, delivering an inspiring and intriguing experience for all visitors. From Professor Adams' writings about the show: “There’s something dark, tough and roughly textured about Pekoc’s work that captures the creative essence of Cleveland”... “His imagery is both repressed and intensely sensual.” I like those thoughts about Pekoc and Cleveland and this show very much.

The opening, Friday evening, December 8, 2006, drew a large, appreciative audience. Being a retrospective, the exhibition featured many older works from private collections, as well as current work for sale - many red dots show there is a strong market for art in Cleveland, when the artist is Pekoc, whose work captures prices into the $10,000s. The current work he exhibited include all sizes of constructions of fascinating photographs that the artist has manipulated, cut apart, stitched together, and coated with paint, varnish, and shellac.

As the above Adams quote says, the result is "intensely sensual", in both subject images and texture, being rich, supple, warm and glowing. His recent subjects, from Adam and Eve in flux to a large image of a hand, are intellectually stimulating, as are his earlier works in the show.

A most interesting image is from Pekoc's witnessing of the Kent State Universtiy shooting, which he presents in a realist style painting with absurdist imagery feating scuba divers... a fascinating mind at work here.

Guests at the opening of this exhibition were also treated to a special opening night live performance of Antiphonies for a Severed Head, an original work of music composed by Dana McCormick and performed by Cleveland Musicians

This most powerful exhibition, co-produced with Bonfoey Gallery, which represents Pekoc, offers one exceptional example of collaboration in the region for arts excellence. Two galleries, a preservationist, an artist, a composer, funders of original musical composition, Cleveland-area musicians, peers on the faculty at Case University, arts patrons, enthusists and friends came together on a magical evening to celebrate a great career, great art, great music and conviviality - that is Convivium - that is how NEO may show the world how we are world-class. Learn more about the exhibition, Convivium33 and gallery hours here.