Materiality: Jim Gigurtsis and Mike Cannata
Date: May 29, 2026 - August 16, 2026
Gallery: Gamble Family Gallery
Materiality: Jim Gigurtsis and Mike Cannata brings together two artists whose practices embrace the inherent qualities of their chosen mediums. In oil on canvas, Gigurtsis allows paint to remain present and unapologetic, while Cannata’s ceramics carry a striking painterly sensibility, surfaces that feel layered, and alive. Neither artist seeks to disguise their materials; instead, they foreground process, texture, and touch.
Across both bodies of work, forms materialize in spaces between representation and abstraction. Figures and objects emerge only to dissolve again, inviting viewers to linger in moments of recognition and ambiguity. In this way, Materiality speaks not only to what is depicted, but to how it comes into being, where substance and image are inseparable.
Jim Gigurtsis
Jim Gigurtsis was born in Heraklion, Crete, Greece and moved to England as a young adult. Jim moved to Seminole, Pinellas County, USA from Europe in 2016. Jim Gigurtsis is an award winning multi-discipline artist.
Jim sees the human form as a site of psychological and existential inquiry. Through a process of painterly deconstruction, he evokes themes of alienation, trauma, and corporeal vulnerability.
His work is internationally known and found in private and public collections. Jim’s preferred medium is oil painting but he also uses video and installation to reflect on different perspectives. Jim has taught art and facilitated many workshops, including with the Morean Arts Center in St Petersburg, Florida.
Jim is an avid supporter of the arts in the community. He does this by giving free lessons to individuals and groups that cannot afford it; and supporting worthwhile non-profit organizations, such as Suncoast Voices for Children.
His work can be seen at exhibitions across the USA and Europe and at his website www.gigurtsis.com
Mike Cannata
Mike Cannata (b. 1996) from Chicago, IL is a multimedia artist who works in large-scale painting, sculpture, installation, and ceramics. He has been working primarily in ceramics over the past 10 years, creating larger-than-life sculptures and utilizing oozing and expanding glaze concoctions. Cannata creates narrative through his gestural and emotive paintings and sculptures.
Cannata received a Bachelor of Fine Arts from The New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University (Alfred, NY). From 2021 to 2023, Cannata took part in a long-term residency program at the Morean Center for Clay (St. Petersburg, FL). In 2020, Cannata participated in two residency programs at Guldagergaard International Ceramic Research Center (Skaelskor, Denmark). His artwork has been exhibited throughout the U.S. and internationally in Denmark, Russia, South Korea, and Romania. Cantata’s work has been shown in numerous group and solo exhibitions, including in the U.S. Capitol Building (Washington DC), The Chihuly Collection (St. Petersburg, FL), and the Museum of Nonconformist Art (St. Petersburg, Russia). This winter, he exhibited at the Satellite Art Show (Miami, FL) during Miami Art Week. In the coming months, he will participate in Pathways, an exhibition at the Rollins Museum of Art (Winter Park, FL) and the University of Central Florida Art Gallery (Orlando, FL).
