Southside Showing Acetelli Works in May

Gallery on the Square focusing on ‘Absence and Presence’

The opportunity to showcase the work of Mark Acetelli is something Southside Gallery has looked forward to for some time.

“We are pleased to finally have the chance to showcase Mark’s work,” says Wil Cook, manager of the gallery. “He has participated in a few of our group exhibits over the past year, but this will be the first time he will feature a full body of work.”

The artist will exhibit new works at Southside Gallery through June 1. A reception for Acetelli will be held Thursday, May 9, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.

Acetelli, a self taught painter, moved to Holly Springs from Los Angeles a few years ago. He has exhibited his work extensively and maintains ties to galleries in Los Angeles but has recently begun to show his work in the Mid-South also.

The title of Acetelli’s exhibit is “Absence and Presence.” He describes the collection of paintings as “pertaining to how someone or something can be physically gone, but the essence still remains.”

Southside’s website describes his paintings as “full of vitality and visceral force, employ the application process to enhance a broad emotional spectrum of mood and tone. Loose brush strokes, a spray bottle with thinned paint, and even rags drawn across the canvas are all techniques used by Acetelli to create raw, energetic compositions. Upon first encountering Acetelli’s work, one senses solitude, but not necessarily isolation. The paintings instead have an independent quality to them, a resilience that informs the viewer of an artist’s inherent individualism.”

Acetelli’s work is featured in many prominent corporate and private collections, including that of NBA legend Michael Jordan; Colin Digario, vice president of MySpace.com; Tom Beiry, vice president of Warner Bros. Promotions; the American Heart Association; the Hollyrod Foundation, and others.

For more information contact Southside Gallery, 662-234-9090. — Tad Wilkes