GAVLAK is pleased to announce Los Angeles-based artist Forrest Kirk’s first solo exhibition with the gallery at its Palm Beach location. Blind Tiger consists of seven paintings that present the findings of Forrest’s exhaustive research into the secret and obscured histories of Palm Beach. This responsive visual chronicle scrapes back the layers that constitute the town’s glamorous façade to uncover communities hiding in plain sight. An opening reception will be held on Wednesday, February 24 between 12:00 and 6:00 p.m.

Forrest’s investigations into Palm Beach’s past revealed a parallel with his personal history; when Forrest was a child his stepfather operated several gambling sites concealed within the shells of legitimate businesses. In the late 19th century Palm Beach was home to a predominantly Black settlement called The Styx, which included a network of speakeasies disguised as legal establishments known as “blind tigers.” Behind hidden entrances the pulse of a vital circuit of nightlife and entertainment throbbed; Forrest in turn was inspired to repurpose a familiar form as the vessel for images that manifest for those who know to look for them.