OMFORME + CIRCA: Modern Design Meets Abstract Art

MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. June 2, 2015. OMFORME + CIRCA, a joint exhibition featuring OMFORME's modern design offerings and CIRCA Gallery's contemporary abstract art, opens Saturday, June 6, 2015, with a public reception from 5-8 pm, and runs through Saturday, July 11. The show pairs Omforme's eclectic mix of modern and vintage repurposed furniture and accessories with CIRCA's artists' most recent artwork.

Carter Averbeck is the creative force behind Omforme, a Norwegian word meaning “to transform”, and the store is home to eclectic art and design furniture, objects, and accessories, with a unique twist: his creations and those of his designers are usually recreated, reimagined and repurposed from vintage, forgotten and discarded furniture. These one-of-a-kind, colorful creations will be shown alongside the latest artwork by CIRCA Gallery artists in a variety of media - oil, acrylic, encaustic, resin - including Brooklyn-based Jeff Leonard; Whitefish's Shawna Moore; Minneapolis-based Ellen Richman; and Chicago's Kathleen Waterloo.

CIRCA director, Teresa Engeltjes, met Averbeck after a visit to his store in the summer of 2014. "Carter trained as a fresco artist in Europe and practiced his craft for years. He combines this fine art background with a sophisticated aesthetic and a keen eye for design. Then injects it with a healthy dose of attitude. His custom creations are like nothing else you will find in the Twin Cities. Or elsewhere," she said. The two pay frequent visits to each others' venues and also share a desire to promote local organizations and businesses. Evidence of their complementary curatorial tastes will be displayed at CIRCA Gallery for the next six weeks, open to the public through July 11, 2015.

Image Credit: Grossman's Carving Sand 60" x 40" oil on canvas