Illsol Space changes its name, and direction. Now mergeculture, we look to the future.

Michelle Sawyer and Tony Krol spent much of 2017 learning the gallery businesses. Building a collector base and refining their ideas for art shows in the Tampa Bay area. In January of 2018, they decided to separate the gallery businesses from their personal brand and rename the gallery mergeCulture, to focus on the subcultures that influence art. They even hired Sun Signs and Lettering (Jeff Williams) to paint their new logo in 1shot on the window to bring a little historic flavor to the old building the gallery resides in, right in Tampa Heights.

The first show of 2018 included an unknown artist named Chris Clark, who isn’t on the internet, or any social media platform. The show featured the subculture of scrimshaw, which is a technique of scratching the surface of ivory and inking an image, developed in the 18th Century by whalers.

Creative Pinellas recently wrote an article on the direction of the gallery that captures where we are headed.

Coming up in 2018, some exciting things are planned. Namely, a solo show featuring the work of 3lb God. A duo show featuring Indie Reece and Melvin Halsey Jr.

Also this weekend, for this years Gasparilla Music Festival artist Yvonne Ferguson a rising star in the Florida art scene, will be live painting The Roots. The gallery will also feature a pop-up shop with the artists work the week after the festival.