St. Pete metal artist Frank Strunk III debuts solo exhibition this weekend

Storied metal artist Frank Strunk III gets ready for his latest solo exhibition—his second show since 2020’s virtual “Pandemia,” although this time folks can appreciate his industrial, yet poignant works in person.

The opening reception for “Construct Destruct Restruct” happens from 6 p.m.-9 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 14 at Strunk’s St. Pete studio at 2638 6th Ave. S. It will remain on display for a month, but viewings are appointment-only.

This most recent group of metal works explore themes of grief, transition, ruination and perseverance, inspired by Strunk’s morning walks through the streets of St. Pete.
“Many of us are standing out here screaming into a gentrification void. It’s surprisingly easy to destroy a city. And moving through that grief is hard. It’s a destruction we don’t want and then a rebuild—it’s cyclical, and it’s a perpetual thing,” Strunk writes about his latest works. “We are all grieving. We are living through the destruction, restructuring and construction of our society. How do we navigate transitions? How do we hold our grief in a collapsing society? How do we hold each other up?”

Strunk’s art—which has the ability to portray kinetic movement and tender vulnerability through such an industrial medium—ebbs and flows like the development and construction of his city.

“Clinging to a semblance of authenticity is hard. I don’t have answers, I’m just curious.”

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