Butler Town Center to Feature Art from Leon Keer
February 17, 2020
This month Butler Enterprises begins its multi-part project to bring public art to the Gainesville shopping experience. A vision of developer Deborah Butler, a patron of the Harn Museum and past two-time President of the Phillips Center for Performing Arts, this “art walk” experience will feature local and national artists creating one-of-a-kind works on various walls and surfaces in and around the new Butler Town Center shopping district.
“I have traveled all over the world experiencing art and how it relates to, inspires and influences a local culture, and adding this art walk to Butler has always been a dream of mine. It will only further enhance our shopper’s own experiences at Butler in a fun and interesting way,” said Deborah Butler, President of Butler Enterprises.
The first installment begins Wednesday, February 12 with world-renowned Dutch artist Leon Keer. Keer is a leading artist in anamorphic street art. His art has been showcased in Europe, the United States, Russia, Mexico, the United Arab Emirates, Australia, New Zealand, and several Asian countries. He is one of the only artists in the world to paint in his 3D, 4D or AR-style. This installation at Butler, located on the north side wall of Joann Fabric Store facing Windmeadows Boulevard, will be the first of its kind from Keer in Florida.
For the project, Butler partnered with local mural curator and producer Iryna Kanishcheva, owner of GNV URBAN ART and founder of several urban art projects, including Gainesville’s own 352walls, and Art United Us (Kiev, Ukraine 2016), one of the biggest mural projects in the world.
“The first time I saw Leon Keers’ work was at the SCOPE international art fair in South Beach Miami during Art Basel 2018. I took a picture of his artwork titled “Glorify” that looked like a graffiti-tagged police car in a Dinky toy box. I was just a few feet away and didn’t even realize that the box was actually a flat two-dimensional painting. He is a master of this optical illusion technique and recognized as one of the leading artists in anamorphic street art in the world. I am honored to welcome him to Gainesville,” said Kanishcheva.
Interested visitors can watch Keer in action at the Butler shopping center and are encouraged to visit Butler’s social media pages @ShopatButler for details, timing, and more information. Interviews are available for media upon request to Iryna Kanishcheva or Mary Reichardt, Corporate Marketing Director-Butler Enterprises.
“I have traveled all over the world experiencing art and how it relates to, inspires and influences a local culture, and adding this art walk to Butler has always been a dream of mine. It will only further enhance our shopper’s own experiences at Butler in a fun and interesting way,” said Deborah Butler, President of Butler Enterprises.
The first installment begins Wednesday, February 12 with world-renowned Dutch artist Leon Keer. Keer is a leading artist in anamorphic street art. His art has been showcased in Europe, the United States, Russia, Mexico, the United Arab Emirates, Australia, New Zealand, and several Asian countries. He is one of the only artists in the world to paint in his 3D, 4D or AR-style. This installation at Butler, located on the north side wall of Joann Fabric Store facing Windmeadows Boulevard, will be the first of its kind from Keer in Florida.
For the project, Butler partnered with local mural curator and producer Iryna Kanishcheva, owner of GNV URBAN ART and founder of several urban art projects, including Gainesville’s own 352walls, and Art United Us (Kiev, Ukraine 2016), one of the biggest mural projects in the world.
“The first time I saw Leon Keers’ work was at the SCOPE international art fair in South Beach Miami during Art Basel 2018. I took a picture of his artwork titled “Glorify” that looked like a graffiti-tagged police car in a Dinky toy box. I was just a few feet away and didn’t even realize that the box was actually a flat two-dimensional painting. He is a master of this optical illusion technique and recognized as one of the leading artists in anamorphic street art in the world. I am honored to welcome him to Gainesville,” said Kanishcheva.
Interested visitors can watch Keer in action at the Butler shopping center and are encouraged to visit Butler’s social media pages @ShopatButler for details, timing, and more information. Interviews are available for media upon request to Iryna Kanishcheva or Mary Reichardt, Corporate Marketing Director-Butler Enterprises.
Contact:
Mary Reichardt
MReichardt@butlerenterprises.com, 352.372.3581
