Leonardo. Michelangelo. Raphael. Donatello. All Renaissance master artists. All Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, too. “There are too many layers of genius to unpack, really,” Mergeculture wrote in a press release for its latest show, “Straight from the Sewer,” which opens on Friday in downtown Tampa in conjunction with the monthly Bloom block party on Franklin Street.
The show features work from a dozen artists—including Meow Wolf’s Nico Salazar and Birdcap, which painted one of the best murals in Tampa Bay—from across the country and was inspired by a conversation between Mergeculture Gallery’s co-curator Michelle Sawyer and Tampa producer Wally Rios.
Also on the artist lineup are local favorites like past CL cover artist Peachmoon, 3LB God and Alejandro Algarin (aka Maff Bug), plus a music lineup that features some of the city’s best producers and rappers (Rios, who’s already done “Naruto” beat tapes in releasing a Turtles-inspired one on Friday).
As part of the Bloom party, nearby Magnanimous Brewing is releasing new beers (“Rahzar” and “Tokka” imperial sours with vanilla plus raspberry or blueberry). Gaze Yoga is even having a dance party, and there’s naturally a pizza pop-up, too.
Straight from the Sewer. Friday, Oct. 22, 7 p.m. Bloom on Franklin Block Party outside Mergeculture. 1544 N Franklin St., Tampa. $5-$10 donation. @mergeculture on Facebook
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This article appears in Oct 21-27, 2021.