Our Heroes, Villains, Myths, Legends exhibition, a “sequel” to last year’s, The BIG Gamble, is expected to garner serious interest in the art community. With mainstream media fixated on science fiction -- heroes, villains, myths and legends have not only become part of our daily lives, but in some cases, an obsession. You see the effects every day, from San Francisco turning into Gotham City for a day just to make a little boy’s dream come true, to the young ladies who dream and plan their sweet 16s and weddings that are fit for a princess and the wealthy collectors paying tens of thousands of dollars for collectible comics and action figures. In addition, according to various reports, the past five year's top worldwide box office hits were: 2013 - Iron Man 3 which made over $1.2 billion, 2012 - Marvel’s The Avengers making over $1.5 billion, 2011 – Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 bringing in over $1.3 billion, 2010 - Toy Story 3 making over $1 billion and 2009 - Avatar which made just over $2.7 billion …these movies are all about heroes, villains, myths and legends. It is a theme everyone can relate to, and with such a broad subject matter given to the talent found at the Ani Art Academies ... well, our show – Heroes, Villains, Myths, Legends - is going to be epic.

Last year’s exhibition – The BIG Gamble – posed the following question: Does contemporary art need to shock the viewer to be good? I think we proved it does not...well, kind of. The overall reception to our exhibition was incredible and the opening saw more than 700 people in attendance with plenty of sales.

We have always viewed “shock-value” in terms of what some artists/people claim are works of art and the astronomical prices certain contemporary pieces can bring. Over the past year, at auction, we have seen artists take everyday items, declare them works of art and sell them for large sums of money. In addition, works by Basquiat reached nearly $50 million, Warhol’s work sold for $40 million+ and a Lichtenstein climbed over the $56 million mark – to many, this was shocking. We believe the Ani Art Academy artists truly hold their own “shock-value.”

Realism has been overpowered by pop and abstract art for some time and we’re at a point where many are left thinking, “Where is the talent?” How many times do we have to walk out of a contemporary art exhibit and say to ourselves, “Well… a 5 year old could have done that!” It is time that Realism steps out of the shadows of the art world and takes its place in the spotlight, where truly talented and devoted artists are appreciated for their refined skill and dedication. The rigorous training at the Ani Art Academies develops artists who create “shock-value,” but in a very different way than most contemporary artists do. With shockingly precise and realistic charcoals and oil paintings, these young artists will make you rethink your views on the art world of today as they present works inspired by characters and stories they love. Take a journey with the Ani instructors, apprentices, students and alumni into another world, a world of Heroes, Villains, Myths & Legends.

On Saturday March 15, 2014 we will open our doors and welcome the public to visit our exhibition: Heroes, Villains, Myths, Legends. This exhibit will be the second significant concentration of works in New York City from The Ani Art Academies’ instructors, current apprentices, alumni and associates. On view will be a variety of works celebrating The Lone Ranger, Poseidon, Atlas, Aphrodite, Mata Hari, Spider-man, Joker, Tron and many others; this will be an amazing exhibition and one we know you will enjoy.

As we have stated before, our ultimate goal with these exhibitions is to celebrate the good, the talented, and the skilled artists who continue a great tradition, centuries old, of Academic training. The roster for Heroes, Villains, Myths, Legends stands at 53 artists with more than 60 works. We are pleased to welcome back most of the artists from The BIG Gamble, including the highly esteemed, Anthony J. Waichulis (director of The Ani Art Academies, Waichulis), Timothy W. Jahn (director of The Ani Art Academies, Anguilla), Ed Dillon (director of The Ani Art Academies, Dominican Republic), Tim Reynolds (founder of the Ani Art Academies project), Helen Crispino, Jay Davenport, Erika Baez, Brandon Drake and Erin Anderson, along with many other established and young up-and-comers: Joel Carson Jones, Stuart Dunkel, Patricia Diaz, Elena Green and Victoria Steel. We know this exhibit will be filled with exceptional works of art that will intrigue, fascinate and inspire you … and a few may even bring a smile to your face.

Be sure to visit www.rehscgi.com for additional information regarding this special event in the coming week. Rehs Contemporary Galleries, Inc. is located at 5 East 57th Street, 8th floor, New York, NY 10022. For more information regarding the gallery, call (212) 355-5710 and for more information on the Ani Art Academies please visit www.aniwaichulis.com and www.aniartacademies.org.

List of Scheduled Participating Artists:

Acosta, Catherine
Amy, Kelsey
Anderson, Erin
Baez, Erika
Bonilla, Roneidy
Brady, Jason
Crispino, Helen
Davenport, Jay
Davis, Rodney
Diaz, Patricia
Dillon, Edward
Dillon, Joe
Drake, Brandon
Dunkel, Stuart
Edwards, Lois
Garlick, Emily
Garlick, Lynne
Green, Elena
Herron, Chelsea
Hirst, Emma
Hockenbury, Michael
Hourigan, Sharon
Jahn, Tim
Jones, Joel Carson
Judd, Andy
Kidd, Phillip
Lang, Alicia
Lloyd, Deborah
Long, Roger
Lopez, Wellinton
Martin, Tom
Martinez, Ricardo
Mojica, Elizardo
Moore, Kevin
Poremba, Bernard
Reynolds, Emily
Reynolds, Tim
Richardson, Romaro
Richardson, Shanicia
Rodriguez, Augusto
Rodriquez, Omar
Rogers, Terese
Rosario, Felix
Ruan, Canita
Skalka, Deanna
Shemo, Lucy
Steel, Victoria
Vargas, Eddy
Vasquez, Jonathan
Waichulis, Anthony
Waichulis, Leah
Wallace, Susan
Yavorski, Stephen