Heroes & Villains at Vertical Gallery
Vertical Gallery is proud to present presents Heroes & Villains, a group show with an international roster of artists sharing their unique interpretation of comic characters. The exhibition is March 7 - 28, 2015, and allows each artist to show several original works on paper, canvas, and found materials. The opening reception is Saturday, March 7, 6-10pm
The show will feature new work from: Chris Cunningham (Dublin, IE), Cept (London, GB), Steve Seeley (Chicago, US), Parlee (London, GB), Grégoire "Léon" GUILLEMIN (Paris, FR), Adam Lister (New York, US), Greg Gossel (Minneapolis, US), E. LEE (Chicago, US), Brad Novak (Auckland, NZ), and The Thomas Brothers (Bristol, GB).
About the artists: Chris Cunningham’s spray paint and stencil work explores the ideas of contemporary pop culture and mass media as they affect and shape how we operate in our daily lives. Cept is making his Chicago debut with his famous paintings that mix psychedelia with pop art and graffiti. These will be Cept’s final paintings in this style. Parlee is making his USA debut with this group show and will show a new collection of his iconic kids as heroes & villains – all are spray paint, ink and watercolor on paper. Adam Lister makes his Chicago debut with a new collection of his 8-bit inspired watercolor superheroes. The Thomas Brothers make their USA debut creating distinctive mixed-media work exploring themes such as duality, nostalgia, good vs. evil, fairy tales and childhood through comic book imagery.
E. LEE brings his largest work to date with intricate stencil and hand painting on found materials. Grégoire Guillemin will be featuring new work form his wildly popular “Secret Life of Superhero” series. Greg Gossel returns to the gallery with a new series of mixed-media collage works on paper. Steve Seeley has created a new collection of his brilliant re-interpretations of famous comic and cartoon imagery. Brad Novak makes his USA debut with one-of-a-kind, hand-collaged and stencil-spray-painted works involve the layering of popular imagery.
Heroes & Villains Group Show
March 7 – 28, 2015
Opening reception Saturday, March 7, 6-10pm.
Vertical Gallery, 1016 N. Western Avenue, Chicago, IL 60622
Special thanks to everyone for their support of our holiday “Deck the Halls” show, with all work on skateboard decks. We had a record over 600 people join us for the opening night reception. The show is still on view until December 21. It is an off-the-wall show, so you can take your deck home with you (or have it shipped to you) when you make your purchase. The perfect holiday gift! Support the Chicago-based non-profit The Simple Good, support the artists, and support the gallery. Thank you.
We have work available from Greg Gossel, Ben Frost, Simon WG Butler, Audrey Heller, Peter Max Lawrence, Fernando Chamarelli, GOONS, Joseph Martinez, Anthony Freda, Ruel Pascual, Pixel Stud, Jef Aerosol, Dan Hojnacki, David Soukup, FAKE, Nice One, Tinku, Rene Gagnon, Uriel Correa, Max Kauffman, F63 and brand new pieces from Jeremy Novy, Nancy Segal and YAMS. All for under $500! 
Greg Gossel (Minneapolis): With a background in design, Gossel’s work is an expressive interplay of many diverse words, images, and gestures. His multi-layered work illustrates a visual history of change and process throughout each piece. His work has been exhibited throughout the U.S. and abroad, including San Francisco, New York, Los Angeles, Copenhagen, and London. His commercial clients include Burton Snowboards, Stussy, and Interscope Records while his work has been published in Juxtapoz Art & Culture Magazine, Artslant, Artful Living, ROJO Magazine, and The San Francisco Chronicle.
Max Kauffman (Oakland): Max Kauffman was born in Chicago and grew up in South Bend, Indiana, often returning to Chicago for skateboarding and concerts in his teens. He attended Arizona State University to study ceramics and anthropology — his anthropology studies still make their way into the conceptual foundation for his work. Kauffman has shown in galleries across the United States as well as Italy, Canada and Israel and has been featured in publications Juxtapoz Art & Culture Magazine, Boom, Beautiful Decay, Wallfarmers, and Supersonic Electronic.
David Soukup (Chicago): The urban environment became an immediate focus for David’s work. Living in Chicago, he was surrounded by an endless possibility of inspiration and a city that showcased some of the best architecture in the world. Using elements of graphic design, collage, mixed media, and reclaimed materials, David’s work is a reflection and experience of his everyday life. His artwork has been shown in Chicago, Detroit, San Francisco, Washington DC, Los Angeles, Long Beach, Grand Rapids, St Louis, and Australia. His paintings have been used in numerous film and television productions, and has been featured in Juxtapoz, Hi-Fructose, Artist-a-Day, and many other local and online publications.
Michael Rodriguez (New York): Born in Miami, Michael has exhibited in galleries in the United States, Canada and France, including solo exhibitions at New York galleries Oliver Kamm/5BE Gallery and Feature Inc. He is the recipient of the Pollack-Krasner Foundation Grant for Painting (2000); New York Foundation for the Arts Fellowship for Painting (2002) and Joan Mitchell Grant (2011). Michael’s work is in the permanent collection of the New York Museum of Modern Art, Michael Bloomberg’s collection, Capital Bank, AOL Paris and General Dynamics.
XOOOOX (Berlin): XOOOOX is one of the most exciting and innovative urban artists worldwide. Creating delicate stenciled works and installations on found objects such as wood, metal and stone, he conveys the dynamics between standard ideas of beauty and ruin. In addition to working as a street artist in his hometown of Berlin since 2003, XOOOOX has exhibited widely throughout Germany as well as solo exhibitions in London and New York. Selected exhibitions include: Jonathan Levine Gallery, New York; Circle Culture Gallery, Berlin; De Buck Gallery, New York; Alte Munze, Berlin; KW Institute for Contemporary Art, Berlin; Mead Carney, London; Inoperable Gallery, Vienna. He was recently featured in the Wooster Collective 10 year anniversary exhibition.
C215 (Paris): C215 is a stencil graffiti artist based in Paris, France who has become well known for his intricate portraits and distinctive style. He started spray painting in 2005 and creates portraits of people he meets or likes and places them out on the street. He has become one of the world's most prolific stencil artists. His expansive career in public art has made him renowned in more than just the usual circles of stencil-based art fans and collectors. He has exhibited in Paris, Rome, Barcelona, London, San Paolo, New York, and San Francisco.
Fernando Chamarelli (Brazil): Born and raised in Brazil, artist Fernando Chamarelli has a degree in graphic design and illustration. His early artistic interests started with drawing cartoons, caricatures and realistic portraits. Later, his interests expanded to street art and tattoo. By merging these different backgrounds, he developed his signature style. Fernando still resides in Brazil, a multicultural country of contrasts. This dynamic and colorful environment inspires his work. Fernando’s painting present mosaic, geometric elements, organic forms and harmonic lines. His visual imagery connects symbols, legends, philosophies, religions and customs of ancient and modern civilizations. Fernando has worked and exhibited in Latin America, The United States and Europe.