The show features:
Adam Augustyn (US), Andie Taylor (AU), Candice Tripp (UK),
Carlos Fdez (ES), Dan Lydersen (US), Danny J Martinez (aka Van Dam One) (US),
Delta N.A. (IT), Ethan Price (US), Hendra HeHe (ID),
JJ Zamoranos (PH), Jake and Josh (US), Jenia Cher (US),
Joseph Renda Jr. (US), Kristin Kwan (US), Laura Catherwood (US),
Millo (IT), Mr. Pinkbrush (US), Murmure (FR),
Naoto Hattori (US),Nathan Durfee (US), Nicolas Nadja (US),
Super A (NL), Tom Erik Andersen (NO), Zach Schrey (US)
‘the desire to communicate vs. the desire to hide,’ which runs from Feb. 2-24, features more than a dozen new canvases charting Pastel’s personal and professional evolution, with an emphasis on the experiences and emotions that shaped her adolescence and early adulthood. Pastel will attend the exhibit’s opening reception, taking place at Vertical Gallery on Friday, Feb. 2 from 5:00 pm to 8:00 pm.
‘the desire to communicate vs. the desire to hide’ pivots on two of Pastel’s signature characters, Binky and $unny. The former was originally conceived as the centerpiece of ‘Yo, Binky,’ a proposed animated series (produced by Pastel’s mentor, Chicago-born artist Hebru Brantley) depicting the semi-autobiographical adventures of three elementary school-aged Black girls. The masked, non-binary $unny, on the other hand, draws on Pastel’s ongoing struggles to connect with the world at large.
“Both characters are different versions of myself. $unny’s the one that hides, whereas Binky is the one that communicates. She’s very free-spirited, and doesn't really care what other people think,” Pastel explains. “We all have so many versions of ourselves. We're not one-dimensional. Making these characters helped me to find out who I was — it’s like I finally met myself. I hope viewers can relate. This show is for you more than for me, because I want you to learn something about me, and I want you to see yourself in this human being.”
Pastel — a lifelong devotee of Nineties-era Nickelodeon network fare like ‘Rugrats’ and ‘Hey Arnold’ — originally envisioned a career in animation before going on to study art and design at Columbia College. She joined Brantley’s Hebru Brand Studios in 2015. Pastel has since collaborated with brands including the Walt Disney Company and the NFL’s Chicago Bears, as well as rapper Vic Mensa. Vertical Gallery released Pastel’s art print “Binky Inna Bottle” in 2022, and in late 2023, she participated in the Vertical group show ‘Ode to….’
Bianca Pastel
‘the desire to communicate vs. the desire to hide’
February 2 – 24, 2024
Opening reception: Friday February 2, 5:00-8:00pm
Vertical Gallery
2006 W Chicago Ave #1R, Chicago, IL 60622
Email us at sales@verticalgallery.com to be added to the advance digital collector's preview.
]]>Flog sees people for who they really are. The fast-rising French painter acclaimed for his signature Human of Glass character exposes the emotions and experiences swirling below the surface, bypassing our exterior selves to capture the true essence of our beings.
You can see what Flog sees at SCOPE Miami Beach 2023, which runs from Dec. 5-10. There Vertical Gallery, Chicago’s premier urban-contemporary art gallery, presents Rewind, Flog’s debut U.S. solo exhibit — a playful, poignant and deeply profound collection of paintings and sketches inspired by the artist’s most formative childhood memories.
Flog (born Florian Gaborit in 1984) began drawing during childhood, going on to study graphic design at Nantes’ École Pivaut before pursuing his painting career. He gained international attention following the 2020 introduction of his ongoing Human of Glass series, which depicts humankind in the form of transparent entities filling up with a dazzling array of colors — in short, mere vessels for the elemental forces within.
“The colors symbolize the emotions that we feel, or the knowledge and the values that were transmitted to us and that make each of us unique,” Flog says. “These glass figures are intentionally non-gendered to allow each and every one of us to identify with them, depending on our own feelings.”
Flog reveals more about the Human of Glass, the Rewind show and his continued creative evolution in this exclusive Q&A with journalist and media critic Jason Ankeny.
What can viewers familiar with your past work expect to see from the collection you’re unveiling at SCOPE?
Rewind is by far my most ambitious exhibition. My Human of Glass character is evolving in a universe different from what the public has seen to date, and with 30 paintings and as many sketches, spectators will discover my work in proportions never seen anywhere before. Beyond references to childhood, emotions, dreams, symbolism, metaphors and a little poetry — and, above all, a lot of colors — I hope viewers will also notice a technical evolution linked to painting my character in new formats, both small and large.
Tell us more about this evolution.
There was a great deal of exploration and research required to create these works, and the wide variety of formats allowed me to develop my character, particularly in the treatment of its transparency. The treatment of backgrounds and clouds has also improved. Spectators will still find many references to the theme of children's games, but the approach is different, and more thoughtful. The large number of paintings also allowed me to work on this theme from many different aspects and offered a lot of freedom, leading to richer subject matter.
Which dimension of this exhibition is most likely to surprise spectators?
Visually, this series deviates most from my previous works in regards to the presence of very colorful but plain backgrounds, without the gradients that I usually include. I combined many different colors for the backgrounds and in the waves inside my characters to create a totally new color palette, which allowed me to explore more things and not make everything monotonous. It’s like entering a candy store.
Color is life, so that’s what colors convey for me. I am not generally attracted to one color more than another: I think that each color has potential, and its own way of speaking to people. My favorite colors are not necessarily yours, but each color is able to express and convey something.
For this exhibition, I relied a lot on the colors of the Eighties and Nineties –– the era I grew up in. It seemed obvious to me, and in line with what I wanted to paint. From an emotional point of view, I wanted to create a very colorful series in order to catch the viewer’s eye and remind them of their own past. As the title Rewind suggests, there is a slight graphic distortion in each painting that reminds us of time passing and altering our memories, as if you were watching an old videotape.
What inspired you to explore this subject matter?
The experiences we had as a child shape us as adults. They are our most important memories, but as we grow up, we tend to forget them or put them aside, for all kinds of reasons. Each work in Rewind draws on my own childhood; it is a very personal exhibition. But, as is very often the case in my work, spectators will be able to identify with my characters through the situations or dreams told, because ultimately, we all share similar memories and the same references.
What may seem very intimate in regards to what I say in these paintings is ultimately quite universal, I think, since anyone can appropriate and interpret what they see differently from what I wanted to convey. This is why I very rarely reveal the symbolism in my paintings, so as not to disturb the viewer's reading. Once exhibited, the work no longer belongs to me. It is up to the public to bring it to life.
I don't really know what pushed me to explore this theme at this point in my life. Probably it's to remember where I come from –– what era I grew up in, and what I've been through in my life. It’s also a way of exploring the innocence that we have when we are children, and it reminds me of the time when everything was just discovery and games. It’s a simple step back, but it allows me to preserve my childish soul, and to learn to love the little boy that I was and who still lives within me.
I hope to awaken similar memories in viewers –– to make them smile, and perhaps make them remember the children they were: what they played with, what their dreams were, and who they were at that moment in their lives. I also hope they will rediscover their own innocence, their own childish souls, even if just for a few seconds.
Rewind is your first solo U.S. exhibition. What does this milestone mean in the context of your life and career as an artist?
Exhibiting in the United States –– especially a solo show –– is a real honor. I am French, and I hope to make my art known to as many people as possible. There is no better way to spread my art outside my country than the incredible setting that is SCOPE: I have never had an opportunity to show my work like this. I put aside a lot of things in my life hoping to become an artist one day, so this exhibition is a dream come true, and it validates the choices I have made over the last 20 years to get here. But this is only the beginning. The road is still long, because I hope to be here for the next 20 years.
Because this road has been so long, I want to thank the people who believe in my work and support me. Vertical Gallery was the first to show my work outside of France, and I want to thank them as well as the collectors for the incredible welcome I received. [Vertical founder and curator Patrick Hull] has put so much faith in me and my work — I don’t really have the words to express my gratitude. It’s a real privilege to live all these crazy experiences.
]]>Vertical Gallery, Chicago’s premier urban-contemporary art gallery, is proud to present ‘Rewind,’ French painter Flog’s first U.S. solo exhibition.
‘Rewind,’ on view at SCOPE Miami Beach 2023 from Dec. 5-10, features a series of bold new paintings and sketches spotlighting Flog’s signature Human of Glass character — a transparent, genderless vessel containing the vast spectrum of emotions and experiences that together represent the essence of humanity.
“’Rewind’ is by far my most ambitious exhibition,” Flog says. “My Human of Glass character is evolving in a universe different from what the public has seen to date, and with 30 paintings and as many sketches, spectators will discover my work in proportions never seen anywhere before.”
By turns playful, poignant and profound, ‘Rewind’ draws visual and thematic inspiration from the formative moments in Flog’s upbringing. “The experiences we had as a child shape us as adults. They are our most important memories, but as we grow up, we tend to forget them or put them aside, for all kinds of reasons,” Flog says. “’Rewind’ is a very personal exhibition. But, as is very often the case in my work, spectators will be able to identify with my characters through the situations or dreams told, because ultimately, we all share similar memories and the same references.”
Color continues to play an elemental role throughout Flog’s body of work, symbolizing the feelings, knowledge and values that make each human unique. ‘Rewind’ embraces the colors of the 1980s and 1990s, affording the artist the opportunity to explore an all new palette of tints and tones.
“Color is life, so that’s what colors convey for me,” Flog says. “I think that each color has potential, and its own way of speaking to people. My favorite colors are not necessarily yours, but each color is able to express and convey something.”
Flog (born Florian Gaborit in 1984) began drawing during childhood, going on to study graphic design at Nantes’ École Pivaut before pursuing his painting career. He gained international attention following the 2020 introduction of the Human of Glass series, contributing works featuring the character to Vertical Gallery’s ninth and tenth anniversary group shows as well as 2022’s ‘Atomic Number 13 Part 2.’ Flog has also exhibited in Paris and Rome, among other international destinations.
FLOG
"REWIND"
SCOPE Miami Beach, 801 Ocean Drive, South Beach
December 5 - 10, 2023
Tickets: https://scope-art.com/
Geoffrey Bouillet (JP)
Blic (PH)
Berbain (ID)
Hang (HK)
Yusuke Toda (JP)
Sarcitayasa (ID)
Cy Wang (HK)
TakkaPhaii (TH)
Shishidomia (JP)
Sonni (US)
Jeremy Yamamura (JP)
Se-Hee (KR)
'New in Town' runs October 7 - 28, with an opening reception on Friday October 6th, 5-8pm.
Vertical Gallery, 2006 W Chicago Ave #1R, Chicago, IL 60622
]]>Vertical Gallery, Chicago’s premier urban-contemporary art gallery, is very proud to present ‘Leopard Brains,’ the debut solo exhibit from fast-rising painter Danny J. Martinez, a.k.a. Van Dam One.
‘Leopard Brains,’ which runs Sept 9-30 at Vertical Gallery’s new West Town location (2006 W. Chicago Ave. #1R — enter via the alley off Damen Ave.), features more than two dozen new paintings and sketches, all exquisitely rendered in Martinez’s colorful pop-surrealist style. Martinez will attend the exhibit’s opening, which runs from noon to 5:00 pm on Saturday, Sept. 9.
‘Leopard Brains’ dramatically advances Martinez’s ongoing journey of creative self-discovery, drawing on the artist’s personal experiences as well as the experiences of his community to explore and examine the world around us. The work on display fuses contemporary subjects and traditional mark-making techniques, conjuring multi-layered visual narratives that take their cues from fine art, magical-realist fiction, animation and virtually everything in between.
“My work toes the line between more traditional, academic surrealism and more pop-influenced surrealism — more me. I’m a melting pot of a lot of different things,” Martinez says. “Storytelling is very important to me, but I never want the story to be too obvious.”
The title “Leopard Brains” refers to the thalamus — the egg-shaped structure in the middle of the brain that serves as the body’s relay station, processing sensory information for transmission to the cerebral cortex. The thalamus also plays a critical role in sleep, wakefulness, consciousness, learning and memory.
“I first sketched the phrase ‘leopard brains’ years ago. I remember thinking ‘That’s a really odd pairing,’” Martinez says. “It’s the part of the brain that houses emotions. It’s also where the internal imagining trigger and urge response reside. That’s my art.”
Joliet, Ill.-born Martinez is a relative newcomer to the art world. He drew in sketchbooks and notebooks throughout childhood, but initially pursued a career in the corporate space, toiling in IT. He reassessed his priorities and ambitions during the pandemic, and decided to quit his job and begin painting. Under the alias Van Dam One (“an inside joke inside of an inside joke,” he explains), Martinez quickly became a fixture in group shows across the Chicagoland area, appearing in close to 30 shows in 2022 alone.
“I guess I've been trying to make up for lost time,” Martinez says. “I have been treating this entire journey like I have nothing left to lose, and like I'm going through art school one pop-up and one gallery show at a time. Every opportunity was something that I did not want to pass up, and I treated each almost as a test I needed to pass. As I put in the time and energy to continuously create new work, I slowly began to develop my own visual language.”
Vertical Gallery patrons have previously encountered Martinez’s work via group shows including 2022’s 'Thing or Two' and this past April’s 10-Year Anniversary Celebration.
“Danny Martinez has very quickly created a style of art that is uniquely his own,” says Patrick Hull, Vertical Gallery’s founder and curator. “I remember the first time I saw his work — everyone in the Chicago art community was asking ‘Where did this guy come from?’ We’re very excited to host his first solo show.”
Danny J Martinez (aka Van Dam One)
'Leopard Brains'
September 9 - 30, 2023
Opening day: Sat Sept 9, noon-5pm
Vertical Gallery, 2006 W Chicago Ave #1R, Chicago
“Sorry I can’t talk right now” addresses situations in life that may be dangerous, unsafe, or uncomfortable. Known for painting hands as the characters faces, this show explores the artist having the characters use hand signs when they cannot use sound. The theme of the work follows his critical, politically neutral outlook on society.
2CHOEY is a Bangkok based self-taught artist. With a background in Urban Architecture, 2CHOEY was an art director in an ad agency. He soon started selling paintings and realized he enjoyed painting more than working in advertising. 2CHOEY’s signature characters, ‘Fingies’, reinterprets pop culture icons within the framework of hands, fists and fingers in his playful and very unique style.
His career took off while living and working in Melbourne, Australia a few years ago. His colorful pop-art inspired work was an instant hit within the Melbourne art scene. Since then every work has sold out from Taipei, Miami, Berlin, Hong Kong, Oslo, Bangkok, Chicago and Melbourne. His work has featured in many publications, including the National Geographic, Lürzer’s Archive, Designboom, and Ads of the world.
2CHOEY’s has participated in several group shows at Vertical Gallery, and this is his first solo show in the United States.
2CHOEY
“Sorry I can’t talk right now”
July 8 – 29, 2023
Opening day: Saturday July 8, noon-5pm
Vertical Gallery, 2006 W. Chicago Ave #1R, Chicago
Vertical Gallery presents "Wag Your Tail!" a charity art show to benefit One Tail at a Time Shelter. The show runs August 5 - 26, 2023.
The show features new artwork from:
Adam Augustyn, AJ Ainscough, Ana Fuentes, Andrew Ghrist, Angel Onofre, Aris Moore, Bird Milk, Blake Jones, Conrad Javier, Cristi López, Dave De Leeuw, Delisha, DJ Auld, Graham Franciose, Hama Woods, Hannah Eddy, James Eastwood, Jerkbeard, Joseph Renda Jr., John Rego, Juliet Schreckinger, Julieta XLF, Kate Lewis, Kathie Olivas, Katie Lukes, Laura Catherwood, Liz Flores, Melissa Villarreal, Natalia Shaloshvili, Nez, Oscar Joyo, Pipsqueak Was Here!!!, Sergio Farfán, Shawnimals, Steve Seeley, Valeria Terrazas, Word to Mother, Z, and Zor Zor Zor
About One Tail at a Time:
One Tail at a Time makes a lifetime commitment to provide each of their homeless pets with a loving, forever home. Read all about them here: www.onetail.org/about/
Join us on opening day, Saturday August 5th, from noon-5pm.
Vertical Gallery, 2006 W Chicago Ave #1R (entrance in alley off Damen)
Vertical Gallery is proud to present Belgian-based artist Philip Bosmans for his first USA solo exhibition. “In Search of a Quiet Mind” runs June 3 – 24, 2023, with an opening reception on Friday June 2, 5:00-8:00pm.
Philip Bosmans (1980) currently lives in Hasselt, Belgium. He is an innovative artist who has made a name for himself with his captivating paintings. Born and raised in Bree, Philip has always had a passion for art and has honed his skills over many years of practice and experimentation. He is classically trained as a graphic designer but he’s a self-taught painter and graffiti artist with a fantasy-surrealist style which is uniquely his – a style that blends elements of street art, illustration, and contemporary painting. Philip creates pieces that are both thought-provoking and visually stunning.
We are very excited to present this brand-new collection of work from Philip. Philip's work has been featured in group shows at Vertical Gallery over the years, as well as numerous exhibitions and galleries around the world.
Philip Bosmans
“In Search of a Quiet Mind”
June 3 – 24, 2023
Opening reception, Friday, June 2nd, 5:00 – 8:00 pm.
Vertical Gallery, 2006 W Chicago Ave. #1R, Chicago
Vertical Project Space is located at 2006 W Chicago Ave #1R (entrance in alley off Damen). Open weekends 12-5.
Opening on April 1 at Vertical Gallery:
April 1 - 29: Vertical Gallery 10-Year Anniversary Show Part 2 at Vertical Gallery featuring: AlexFace, Martin Whatson, Flog, 2CHOEY, Hama Woods, Sergio Farfan, Collin Van Der Sluijs, Mr. Kreme, Mau Mau, and Pipsqueak Was Here!!!
Vertical Gallery is located at 1016 N Western Ave. Open Tues-Sat 12-6.
Thank you to everyone that has visited and collected work from us over the past 10 years. And special thanks to all of the artists that have shown with us over the past 134 shows!
Email us at info@verticalgallery.com if you have any questions.
]]>In his latest Solo show 'REFLECTED IN THE SHADOWS', UK artist Copyright continues exploration into themes of introspection, inner turmoil, anxiety and balance. The all-new body of work features paintings on canvas, skateboards and painted directly onto vintage comic books.
By incorporating the bright bold aesthetic and characters of comic books, he is able to create a sense of fantasy and conflict, juxtaposed by bright and eye catching colors and iconography found in POP and Street Art. The resulting works are simultaneously light in visuals but dark in context.
Copyright's paintings represent ideals from the modern world and popular culture, portrayed within classic imagery of simple beauty. Many of his paintings tell stories from ancient mythology, represented by modern idealism and unattainable visions of glamour found in fashion, music and popular culture. Fusing street art, graffiti and traditional styles, he uses a mixture of classic painting techniques, printing and spraypaint.
We're excited to have Copyright return after his first solo 'FABLES' in March 2016 and his duo show with Gemma Compton 'TWO SIDES' in March 2019.
Copyright
'REFLECTED IN THE SHADOWS'
March 4 - 25, 2023
Opening Day: Sat Mar 4, noon-6pm
Vertical Gallery, 1016 N Western Ave., Chicago
Steve Seeley (b. 1979) is an artist living in Berwyn, IL. His art has been shown at galleries and institutions both throughout the U.S. and internationally. He is a founding member and co-owner of POP!NK Editions, a fine art screen printing company located in Chicago. Additionally, he enjoys collecting unique and obscure things and has dabbled in the world of writing comics. His free time is spent with his wife Jenny, their two cats, and their awesome dog Egg.
Blake Jones (b. 1988) is a Chicago based artist. Blake’s use of graphic line work and bright color palettes illustrates narratives of complex worlds inhabited by his own iconic characters, objects, and landscapes. Blake’s work has been exhibited in multiple mediums and forms such as print, paintings, gallery exhibitions, sculptures, and murals.
‘Love Notes’
A duo show with Steve Seeley and Blake Jones
February 4 – 25, 2023
Opening day: Sat Feb 4, noon-6pm
Vertical Gallery, 1016 N Western Ave., Chicago
‘Ni De Aquí, Ni De Allá,’ which runs from Dec. 10-31 at Vertical’s 1016 N. Western Ave. location, launches Flores into the next phase of her ascent, embracing new shapes, textures and patterns that expand the scope of her signature abstract figurative portraits. The 14 new pieces featured in the show also emphasize Flores’ evolution as a visual storyteller, revealing a deeper, more profound sense of self — a direct outgrowth of the artist’s exploration of her family’s roots. Flores will attend the opening reception, taking place Saturday, Dec. 10 from noon to 6:00 pm.
Flores conceived and created ‘Ni De Aquí, Ni De Allá’ in the wake of traveling to her mother’s native Cuba and and to Mexico where her father’s family is from, the latter journey undertaken in partnership with the art and travel project The Jaunt. These experiences radically transformed the U.S.-born Flores’s relationship to the cultural forces and traditions that shaped her from afar.
“I’ve traveled to Mexico in the past to see family, but this was my first time visiting Cuba. When visiting these two places, I experienced an emotional pull. It might be the food or the language, but I felt at home and nostalgic,” Flores explains. “‘Ni De Aquí, Ni De Allá’ is inspired by those feelings of nostalgia, the clash between tradition and modern life, as well as the search for belonging and identity”.
The title ‘Ni De Aquí, Ni De Allá’ — which translates from Spanish as “From neither here nor there” — is a common expression among people coming to terms with the complexities and contradictions of their multicultural makeup, Flores notes.
“This work is a direct reaction to the question ‘What are you?’” she says. “In the U.S., you don’t always feel like you are American enough. But then at the same time you may not always feel Latina enough. You live in the in-between. It’s a struggle to respond when someone asks ‘What are you?’ because it’s such a struggle to define yourself. You feel torn between three different identities — American, Mexican and Cuban — and realizing that you’re a little bit of everything. It’s almost a completely new identity that’s just for you.”
The self-taught Flores earned her bachelor’s degree in entrepreneurship from Illinois State University, abandoning the corporate world after three years to pursue a career in art. A 2019 mural for Sephora (still on view inside Chicago’s Water Tower Place) set in motion a series of collaborations with brands like Lululemon, Target and the NFL’s Chicago Bears. Flores has also participated in group shows across the Chicagoland area, including Vertical Gallery’s ‘It Was All a Dream’ and ‘Atomic Number 13’ (both from 2021) as well as this past April’s 9-Year Anniversary Show.
Liz Flores
‘Ni De Aquí, Ni De Allá’
December 10 - 31, 2022
Opening day: December 10, noon-6pm
Vertical Gallery, 1016 N Western Ave., Chicago
The show brings together a diverse group of artists, each creating two works each. Featuring: Adam Augustyn, Andrew Ghrist, Ale Bara, Blake Jones, Bo Myles, Chad Edwards, Christy Grossmann, Crush Entity, Czr Prz, Demonbby, Diosa, Jeff Pak, Jettila Lewis, Kyle Cobban, Laura Catherwood, MELT.Y, Michelle Wanhala, Mike Egan, Mosher, Racheal Scotland, Rocodrilo, Roiz One, Sean Hannaway, Shannon Kay Lewis, Shawnimals, Sick Fisher, Van Dam One, Vivian Le
'Thing or Two'
Oct 15 - Nov 13, 2022
Open weekends, noon-5pm
Vertical Project Space
2006 W Chicago Ave., #1R (entrance in alley off Damen)
Krause Gallery, New York City, in conjunction with Vertical Gallery, Chicago, is thrilled to announce renowned graffiti and street artist ROA’s first New York City show in over a decade. With only one show a year, and a commitment to his craft with a no-print, no-edition code, don’t miss the rare opportunity to view ROA’s new works. The show will feature a dozen original pieces hand-painted on metal or wood; created in homage to both creature and habitat. A limited number of signed books will also be available at the gallery and online. Show opens Thursday, October 20 at Krause Gallery. Artist Reception 5-8pm.
Background
ROA, originally from Ghent Belgium, is one of the early pioneers in a now vibrant urban art scene in Belgium. He has created works on the streets of cities across Europe, the United States, Australia, Asia, New Zealand and Africa. He is known for painting large scale murals of wild or urban animals and birds using a minimal color palette. Many depict the inner workings of the creatures, detailing bones, and organs with technical perfection, while offering mutual respect both to the creatures, and their spaces and surroundings. ROA uses his artistry to create community and conversation by touching upon such universal themes as life and death, beauty and decay.
Contact benjamin@krausegallery.com for the collector's preview
General Information
Krause Gallery
149 Orchard Street.
New York, NY 10002
212-777-7799
benjamin@krausegallery.com
Hours
Wednesday – Saturday 12am to 6pm or by appointment
‘Atomic Number 13 part 2,’ which runs from Nov. 5 - 19 at Vertical’s 1016 N. Western Ave. location, brings together over 80 artists in all, each working on an 11x14 aluminum composite panel handcrafted by ArtBuilds. The company’s founder, artist Joseph Renda Jr. — the subject of the summer 2021 Vertical Gallery solo show ‘Larger Than Life’ — also handpicked each artist included in the exhibit, some of whom (including Renda) will be in attendance at the gallery on Saturday, Nov. 5 in celebration of the show’s opening (noon-6pm).
The title ‘Atomic Number 13” honors aluminum’s spot on the periodic table of elements. Renda began painting on aluminum composite panels five years ago, inspired by his mentor Anthony Adcock, an instructor at the American Academy of Art. “Once I realized I could make these panels whatever size I wanted, or build them in different shapes, I was hooked, and I stopped painting on canvas and wood,” Renda says. “These panels are the smoothest, most archival surface you can paint on, and unlike other surfaces, they don’t absorb moisture, so they’re not going to warp over time.”
Renda launched ArtBuilds in 2018 to provide much-needed framing and construction services to his peers in the artist community. “I make everything by hand, all from natural wood — not just frames, but also custom canvases, shipping crates and pedestals. Artists make up 90 percent of my clientele, and the other 10 percent are galleries and collectors.” ArtBuilds has been working with Vertical since before Renda officially founded the company: when the gallery needed assistance with multiple projects, Renda offered his support, and the partnership continues to this day.
“Beyond showing the versatility of the aluminum panels, I wanted to show the diversity of art out there,” he explains. “With so many artists working in so many different styles, everyone who attends this show is going to discover something that they love.”
The artists featured in Atomic Number 13 part 2 include:
Aaron Robert Baker, Adam Augustyn, Ador, Agnes Cecile, AJ Ainscough, Aldair Dosmil, Alejandro Botubol Bolaños, Alex Face, Allie Kushnir, Ana Fuentes, Bird Milk, Blake Jones, Codak Smith, Collin van der Sluijs, Chris Uphues, Christy Grossmann, Cristi López, David Heo, Delisha, Diosa, Diego Peñuela, Elloo, Emma McKee, Ezra Brown, Fintan Magee, FACE, Fedz, Flog, GoopMassta, Goosenek, Grant William Thye, Hama Woods, Jamiah Calvin, James Eastwood, James Lipnickas, James Sturnfield, JC Rivera, Jennifer Cronin, Jenny Frison, Jordan Ferguson, Joseph Renda Jr., Jesse Hora, Jesse Navarrete, JUURI, Karl Jahnke, Kathie Olivas, Katie Lukes, Kyle Cobban, Loc Hong, Laura Catherwood, Lie, Martin Whatson, Mary Fedorowski, Matt Zuska, Mau Mau, Melissa Villarreal, Miller James, Micah Ofstedahl, Michelle Avery, Konczyk, Morgan Frew, My Dog Sighs, Oscar Joyo, Paul Neberra, Penny Pinch, Pipsqueak Was Here!!!, Pizza in the Rain, Poka, Racheal Scotland, Ramiro Silva-Cortes, Ruben Aguirre, ROIZ, Samantha DeCarlo, Sarah Jamison, Savannah Magnolia, Sergio Farfán, Seth Clark, Shawnimals, Sid Ylagan, Steve Seeley, Thomas Turner, Troy Scat, Underseagravy, Valeria Terrazas, Van Dam One, Vivian Le, Yon, YunGFlop, Zach Schrey, ZorZorZor
'Atomic Number 13 part 2', curated by ArtBuilds
November 5-19, 2022
Opening day: Sat Nov 5, noon-6pm
Vertical Gallery, 1016 N Western Ave., Chicago
‘Textura,’ which runs from Oct. 1-22 at Vertical’s 1016 N. Western Ave. location, exists at the intersection of art and science, spotlighting lefty OUT there’s signature repeated shapes — a.k.a. “polymorphs,” a term for compressed patterns commonly found in nature — in a wildly diverse range of styles and settings. lefty OUT there will attend the show’s opening reception, taking place Saturday, Oct. 1 from noon to 6:00 pm.
‘Textura’ — lefty OUT there’s first-ever solo gallery showcase in his native Chicago — extends and evolves the artist’s career-long obsession with patterns and textures. The trademark ‘lines’ that recur across his paintings and murals, often likened to cell structures and vibrations, achieve new heights of creativity and craftsmanship in this body of work.
lefty OUT there estimates he has drawn well over a million polymorphs over the course of his career, with no end in sight. “How I draw the pattern is always different as I'm painting the piece,” the artist explains. “There are multiple nuances per line. I'm making sure that I’m keeping it balanced, keeping the spacing the same, keeping the line width the same, and that it's all building off of itself. It’s a process of constant problem solving.”
With ‘Textura,’ a collection several years in the making, lefty OUT there turns his focus to what he calls “wall sculptures” — i.e., three-dimensional, tactile objects boasting uncommon presence and depth.
“This show embraces the beauty of materials like yarn, fabric, Plexiglas, and wood. One piece might be soft and plush, while another might be hard and concrete,” lefty OUT there says. “Also, the show is interactive. People are going to be able to touch tufted rug pieces and crocheted pieces. They're even going to be able to touch the piece with nails driven into it. It's a much different experience than just looking at something on a wall. It’s going to be intense for some people, but I like intensity — it’s the overarching word in my career.”
lefty OUT there channeled his creativity into playing piano before turning to visual art at the age of 18, taking inspiration from Chicago’s vibrant street art community. The self-taught, left-handed painter spent years crisscrossing the globe in a relentless quest to refine his pattern-dominated aesthetic, eventually making his mark in cities like New York, Miami and London as well as Los Angeles, which he now calls home. lefty OUT there’s portfolio also includes large-scale installations for locations like Nobu, club E11EVEN, Chotto Matte and Chicago’s Ambassador Hotel along with collaborations with brands including Nike, Facebook, Samsung and McDonald’s.
lefty OUT there
‘Textura’
October 1 – 22, 2022
Opening reception: Sat Oct 1, noon – 6pm
Vertical Gallery, 1016 N Western Ave
Email us at sales@verticalgallery.com for the digital collector's preview
]]>‘Anxiety Est. 03’ (which occupies both Stella Gallerie in Miami and Public Studio in Tampa, and is presented in partnership with Chicago’s Vertical Gallery) features close to three dozen new canvases grappling with the seminal moment in Farfán’s life to date: his family’s abrupt relocation from their native Peru to the United States — a tectonic shift that set in motion his childhood anxiety, but also directly inspired his career as an artist. Farfán will be in attendance when ‘Anxiety Est. 03’ opens at Stella Gallerie on Thursday, Sept. 22, and will travel to Tampa for the Public Studio opening on Saturday, Sept. 24.
‘Anxiety Est. 03’ explores childhood trauma through the lens of Farfán’s signature cartoon-cubism approach, poignantly yet playfully bringing to life the emotions and experiences that reshaped his adolescence upon arriving in America in 2003. Farfán’s parents did not inform him about the family’s relocation plans: in fact, the animation-obsessed seven-year-old boarded their plane believing he was en route to a Disney World vacation. While the aircraft briefly touched down in Miami, the Farfáns continued on to Chicago, where Sergio struggled to adjust both to his new surroundings and to the absence of his extended Peruvian family — a struggle that manifested as crippling anxiety.
“I remember being in Peru and not having any anxiety. I was a normal, happy kid,” Farfán says. “But flying from Peru to Florida and then from Florida to Chicago, my heart started racing and I was nauseous. I was shaking and sweating. It was not until my freshman year in high school that I was diagnosed with anxiety, and that led me to art therapy. Ever since then, I’ve been trying to deal with my anxiety and using art as a form of meditation.”
Farfán credits art therapy — a technique that utilizes creative expression as a means to address a patient’s negative thoughts, emotions and behaviors — for giving him the tools necessary to bring a project like ‘Anxiety Est. 03’ to fruition.
“Art therapy didn’t just teach me how to draw, but also to draw whatever I felt, and to put meaning into it,” he explains. “‘Anxiety Est. 03’ processes what I felt coming from Peru to the U.S. — what anxiety did to me, and how I dealt with it. Each painting tells stories about coming to America: what immigrants experience to come here, and what life is like when we get here.”
‘Anxiety Est. 03’ represents the culmination of a long and winding creative process. Farfán originally conceived the series in 2017, one of four ongoing collections of paintings he launched that year; in preparation for this exhibit, he completed and reimagined works in progress since five years earlier, concurrently continuing the ‘Anxiety Est. 03’ series with brand-new pieces that delve deeper into his core thematic concerns and demonstrate his evolving mastery of color. For example, both “Color Esperanza” (on display in Tampa) and the ‘Anxiety Est. 03’ title painting (exhibiting in Miami) confront anxiety’s chokehold on Farfán’s psyche, but while the former is serene and contemplative, the latter delivers Picasso-inspired anarchy, complete with appearances by animation icons Tom and Jerry.
“Back in 2017, I was in a very bad mindset. I was sharing very personal stuff in my paintings, and It now feels very immature. So I went back and painted over everything I don’t want people to know, because it’s all behind me now,” Farfán says. “It felt like I was collaborating with my younger self. In fact, it almost feels like we’re two different people, because we all change every day. But I still really like the paintings from back then, because they show a lot of character.”
Vertical Gallery first displayed Farfán’s work in a 2016 holiday-themed pop-up exhibit, and included several of his canvases in its 2019 and 2020 anniversary shows. In late 2020, Vertical presented ‘Looking for Dreams in a Kan of Soup,’ a solo pop-up that explored the artist’s debt to his boyhood hero Andy Warhol while simultaneously embracing a more abstract approach that escaped Warhol’s shadow altogether — an approach that informed the dazzlingly colorful, mind-bending work presented in Farfán’s first full-fledged solo exhibit, 2021’s ‘Five Years.’
Contact victor@stellagallerie.com for sales inquiries.
]]>“This piece is very personal to me, it is the exploration of caring for my inner child through self-expression. Throughout my life I’ve had trouble expressing myself and communicating my emotions in a way that is effective. Oftentimes I end up feeling misunderstood, invisible or trapped inside a glass bottle of my emotions. It feels as though people can see me but they can’t hear me."
"I think children feel just as deeply as adults but don't have the verbal communication to express it. I use Binky as a muse to express myself and what I’m feeling as a way to heal my inner child and also connect with youth who may share similar struggles. A lot of us grew up in spaces where it wasn't ok to be sad or to just be and now our emotions are bottled up in unhealthy ways. Through this piece I want to communicate that you are seen and heard.” – Bianca Pastel
Bianca Pastel is a Chicago-based artist who envisioned a career in art since the age of 5. Her biggest influences behind her work derive from 90's movies/cartoons, Art Deco, photography, and music. Bianca studied art and design at Columbia College and her experience ranges from doing album covers and children’s book illustration, to animation and graphic design. Her goal with her work is not only to have fun, but also to remind people of childhood memories and provide her audience a feeling of nostalgia.
Bianca Pastel
Binky Inna Bottle, 2022
19-color screenprint on Mohawk Superfine UltraWhite 160lb cover
20 x 26 in., 50.8 x 66 cm
Edition of 30, signed & numbered by the artist
Printed by POP!NK Editions
$350
Bianca Pastel
Binky Inna Bottle, 2022
19-color screenprint on Mohawk Superfine UltraWhite 160lb cover
20 x 26 in., 50.8 x 66 cm
Artist’s Proof Edition of 5, signed & marked A/P by the artist
Printed by POP!NK Editions
$450
Bianca Pastel
Binky Inna Bottle, 2022
Hand-Embellished 19-color screenprint on Mohawk Superfine UltraWhite 160lb cover
20 x 26 in., 50.8 x 66 cm
Five unique 1/1 Hand-Embellished Printed, signed by the artist
Printed by POP!NK Editions
$1,000
‘Façade,’ which runs from Sept. 3-24 at Vertical’s 1016 N. Western Ave. location, assembles new paintings memorializing and mythologizing the urban landscapes of days gone by — the often-overlooked places and spaces woven into the memories of Chicago’s patchwork of communities. In conjunction with the show’s opening reception, taking place Saturday, Sept. 3 from noon to 6:00 pm, Vertical also will release two new Pizza in the Rain (PITR) prints.
While ‘Façade’ features Pizza in the Rain’s graffiti-enriched interpretations of buildings from throughout Chicago, the exhibit focuses on neighborhood landmarks in and around Logan Square (the artist’s former residence) and the Old Irving Park area (his current home base).
“’Facades’ are places that it sometimes seems no one cares about, when in fact they hold a deep meaning,” Pizza in the Rain says. “A lot of these buildings are places where I’ve had personal experiences, whether it’s a place I used to visit all the time or a place that catches my eye when I’m on a bike ride. Even though these sites are no longer in vogue, I know they still hold fond memories for many other people, too.”
All the works featured in ‘Façade’ begin with reference photos snapped via PITR’s smartphone. Next he creates detailed pencil sketches — similar in style and scope to architectural blueprints — before commencing work on the final painted piece. “The last step comes as I’m painting, when I bring in personal details and recreate elements of work by graffiti artists I admire,” PITR explains. “Each piece is my fantasy version of how that particular building might look, but I always remain true to its real-world aesthetics.”
The self-taught Pizza in the Rain — an alias harkening back to the artist’s childhood — cites his mother (a professional photographer for 35 years) and father (the force behind a nonprofit established to boost literacy rates among inner-city children) as formative influences. After a teenage dalliance with graffiti art, he pursued a career in corporate America, but rededicated himself to drawing, painting and public art after experiencing ‘Three Sides to Every Story,’ a 2014 Vertical Gallery exhibit featuring the work of fellow Chicago artist Grant William Thye.
Pizza in the Rain made his Vertical debut in 2018 with the trio show ‘Counterparts,’ alongside Joseph Renda Jr. and CROP. A year later he returned to the gallery as the mastermind behind 'Landscapes,’ a group show commemorating a 13-month-long collaborative public art project celebrating the architecture of the Windy City. PITR has additionally exhibited in galleries in Portland and New Orleans, and spearheaded public art projects in Miami, New York City, Los Angeles, Paris and London.
Pizza in the Rain
'Facade'
Sept 3 - 24, 2022
Vertical Gallery, 1016 N Western Ave.
Ador lives and works in Nantes in the West of France. He has created his own universe filled with imaginary characters inspired by fairy tales, circus spectacles, and current events. Ador’s goal is to portray the point where the silly meets the serious.
Ador has painted murals and exhibited work worldwide. We have been working with the artist since his first visit to the gallery in 2014.
Ador
‘No Protected Species’
Sept 10 – Oct 2, 2022
Vertical Project Space
2006 W. Chicago Ave. #1R
2900 W Chicago – solo wall on back of building in parking lot
2006 W Chicago #1R – collaboration wall with Chicago artist Joseph Renda Jr. (alley side of 2006 W Chicago)
2039 North Ave. – solo wall on side of building
1024 N Western – collaboration wall with Yon, Goopmassta, and DY3
Crawford Steel Company - collaboration with Face and SechoR
]]>Vertical Gallery is very proud to present ‘Back Outside,’ the debut solo exhibit from Chicago-based painter AJ Ainscough. ‘Back Outside,’ which runs from Aug. 13 through Sept. 4 at Vertical Project Space’s West Town location (2006 W. Chicago Ave. #1R; enter via the alley off Damen Ave.), features 13 new canvases rendered in Ainscough’s already inimitable style — a controlled chaos that embraces and subverts traditions including pop art, cartoon realism, impressionism and surrealism.
‘Back Outside’ — which arrives six months after ‘A Warrior in the Garden,’ the Line Dot Editions joint showcase pairing Ainscough with Chicago printmaker and painter Steve Seeley — explores the artist’s efforts to navigate the increasingly precarious twists and turns of everyday life situations. “This body of work is about restlessness,” Ainscough explains. “It’s about never relaxing, and about an inability to really let go and enjoy the space around you because of the thoughts in your head.”
The outsize, fantastical imagery dominating ‘Back Outside’ belies the autobiographical intimacy of Ainscough’s work. “Each figure in each painting is a version of myself,” he says. “It’s a different adaptation of what I’m feeling, but I interpret and exaggerate my experiences to emphasize whatever feeling I’m trying to create.”
Ainscough was born and raised in Chicago Heights, Ill. He began sketching as a toddler, later churning through artistic influences ranging from Nickelodeon’s Blue’s Clues to the Garbage Pail Kids trading card series to the underground comix of R. Crumb. He initially aspired to a career in animation, but switched his focus to painting while a student at Eastern Illinois University under the tutelage of mentor Chris Kahler.
Ainscough has since contributed to group shows in Chicago, Hong Kong, Tokyo and Los Angeles, and later in 2022 his work will appear in the Vertical Gallery group show ‘Atomic Number 13 Part 2’ as well as ‘#INK 2’ at Vertical Project Space. His portfolio also includes a summer 2022 mural for Soho House Chicago.
AJ Ainscough
‘Back Outside’
Aug 13 - Sept 4, 2022
Opening day: Saturday August 13th, 12-5
AJ will be in attendance on opening day
Vertical Project Space, 2006 W Chicago Ave #1R, open weekends noon-5pm
Patcharapol Tangruen (aka Alex Face) is a well-known and highly collectible artist from Bangkok, Thailand. He studied architecture at Bangkok’s King Mongktut Institute of Technology and earned a bachelor’s degree in the Department of Fine and Applied Arts.
He created Alex Face, a character with an aged, disillusioned child’s face wearing animal costumes who is worrying about the future of our world. Alex Face’s art attempts to create a link with the urban population and the underprivileged of Bangkok.
ALEX FACE
'FACES'
August 6 - 27, 2022
Opening day: Saturday August 6th, 12-6
Alex Face will be in attendance on opening day
Vertical Gallery, 1016 N. Western Ave.
VIEW THE SHOW HERE
In a unique twist, ‘Collision’ occupies both Vertical’s flagship location at 1016 N. Western Ave. and Vertical Project Space at 2006 W. Chicago Ave #1R; Van der Sluijs will attend the show opening on Saturday, July 9, and will also paint two new murals during his return visit to the Chicago area.
‘Collision’ spreads between the two galleries 10 intricate, giant-scale canvases, five midsize canvases, 12 works on panels, and over 50 works on paper. “I created all this work over the past two years,” van der Sluijs says. “I call the show ‘Collision’ because I feel like these strange times have caused a collision between me as a person and my work. I want to be free, and not a puppet on strings directed by anybody.”
Van der Sluijs credits the volume and variety on display in ‘Collision’ to the different experiences and environments that shape his daily routine. When in nature, for example, he focuses on watercolors and the surrounding landscape, while in the studio, he works on oil and acrylic paintings depicting a range of emotional states. Evenings at the kitchen table are devoted to sketches and watercolors, and walks through the city inspire new mural projects.
“Collin spent most of the lockdown biking to his studio every day and creating an amazing body of work — so many works that we decided for the first time to feature the same artist in both gallery spaces,” says Vertical Gallery owner and curator Patrick Hull. “Both locations will present work in a range of styles, with VPS [Vertical Project Space] displaying all 50 small sketches and mid-sized drawings alongside a few larger paintings, and Vertical Gallery featuring most of the works on canvas and the panels. We’re looking forward to everyone once again experiencing Collin’s world in a gallery setting.”
Van der Sluijs began writing graffiti at the age of 11, a year later commencing studies at the professional painting college in Goes. He spent the next eight years studying a range of disciplines in institutions across the Netherlands, in 2004 earning a Master’s degree in fine art from the Academy of Art and Design St. Joost in Breda. In the years since, van der Sluijs has exhibited in galleries across Europe and the U.S., also painting murals in The Hague, Berlin and Leuven, Belgium, among other locales.
Collin van der Sluijs
“Collision”
July 9 – 30, 2022
Vertical Gallery – Tues-Sat 12-6
Vertical Project Space – Sat & Sun 12-5
‘Larger Than Life,’ which follows two years after Renda’s first solo Vertical showcase, ‘Biophilia,’ contrasts the vastness of nature with the relative triviality of the humans who nevertheless pose Earth’s greatest threat — an imbalance the artist portrays via human figures dwarfed by surrealistic landscapes (the first time he has incorporated landscapes and backgrounds into his work).
“The title ‘Larger Than Life’ speaks to the feeling of walking in nature, looking out into the wilderness and feeling engulfed by your surroundings,” Renda explains. “Some of these pieces touch on eco-activist themes, while others focus on our connection to nature in a more whimsical way. Having the human element in these pieces means viewers can relate to the ideas more directly. Conceptually and visually, this is my most cohesive body of work to date.”
Highlights of ‘Larger Than Life’ include “Through Innocent Eyes,” created in conjunction with Renda’s 12-year-old brother Reagan. “I asked him to draw a house and a tree, and then I created a trompe-l'œil version that looks like crayon,” Renda says. “The way kids draw trees and houses is very innocent. They look at nature as something to explore — something to interact with. Half of the pieces in this show encourage people to recapture their childlike innocence about nature; the other half is about our impact on nature, and how we use it for personal gain. It’s up to the viewer to choose how they want to interact, but if we keep going the way we’re going, there isn’t going to be nature anymore.”
Renda earned his Bachelor of Fine Arts from the American Academy of Art in 2018, a year after making his Vertical Gallery debut as part of an all-star holiday pop-up event. He has since shown in numerous group exhibitions both at home and abroad, and in 2021 curated two Vertical group shows, ‘Water the Plants’ and ‘Atomic Number 13.’ Renda has also created murals throughout the Chicagoland area, and owns and operates the art services and custom framing company ArtBuilds.
Joseph Renda Jr.
‘Larger Than Life’
June 4 – 25, 2022
Opening Day: Saturday, June 4th, noon-6pm
Vertical Gallery, 1016 N Western Ave.
Brad Novak (b. 1976) was born and currently lives in Auckland, New Zealand. He transitioned from being a medical doctor specializing in Public Health to a world-recognized urban artist over the past several years. Passionate study of the genesis of Pop art, combined with respect for the gritty street art aesthetic, resulted in the development of Novak’s personal urban Pop art style – his one-of-a-kind, hand-collaged, and spray-painted works.
‘Hybrid 2.0’ is Novak’s first USA solo show. It features 12 shield/arch shaped works in which he explores identity through charismatic animals fusing with humans to create engaging hybrid figures. Many of the central subjects are birds, which have always had a special place in both the history and modern-day life of Aotearoa, New Zealand. And the warrior aspect of the pieces reflects the fight that we all must undertake to break our own self-limiting beliefs.
Novak currently shows internationally with galleries in the USA, UK, and NZ. He has been showing with Vertical since 2014.
Brad Novak
‘Hybrid 2.0’
June 11 – July 3, 2022
Opening weekend, Sat & Sun June 11 & 12, noon-5pm
Vertical Project Space
‘Enjoy the Silence’ runs from May 7-28 at Vertical’s 1016 N. Western Ave. location, with an opening-day reception on Saturday, May 7 from noon to 6:00 pm. The exhibit features a series of original canvases continuing Woods’ long-running preoccupation with consumerism’s effects on the world we inhabit, a theme she explores via black-and-white mammals and birds painted into colorful but unnatural geometric environments.
Woods’ art is characterized by her use of hand-cut, multi-layered stencils and spray paint. Since beginning her career in 2009, her work has consistently challenged viewers to contemplate the choices they make and the impact of their decisions on both the present and the future. In addition to exhibits and murals across Europe and the U.S., Woods has participated in multiple Vertical Gallery group shows over the years, most recently 2021’s ‘Atomic Number 13.’
Hama Woods
'Enjoy the Silence'
May 7 - 28, 2022
Opening day: Saturday, May 7th, 12-6
All details are listed here:
Kayla Mahaffey
Safe Haven, 2021
45-color Hand-Pulled Screen Print on Mohawk Superfine UltraWhite, 160 lb Cover with Deckled Edges
27 1/2 x 24 in.
Edition of 100, signed and numbered by Kayla
Printed by POP!NK Editions
$800
PURCHASE HERE
Kayla Mahaffey
Safe Haven (variant edition), 2021
45-color Hand-Pulled Screen Print on Mohawk Superfine UltraWhite, 160 lb Cover with Deckled Edges
27 1/2 x 24 in.
Edition of 50, signed and numbered by Kayla
Printed by POP!NK Editions
$975
We understand that many can not make it to Chicago. Email us on Sunday April 24, and if there are any prints available after our in-person launch and Frame Chicago's event, we will fulfill requests on a first-come, first-served basis.
Please email us at sales@verticalgallery.com if you have any questions.
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