AQUA ART MIAMI
Vertical Gallery is very excited to return to the Miami Art Fairs! We will be returning to the AQUA Art Fair this year with an all-star group show featuring: ADi (AU), 2CHOEY (TH), Jake and Josh (US), Steve Seeley (US), Flog (FR), Laura Catherwood (US), Louis (Masai) Michel (UK), Collin van der Sluijs (NL), Sergio Farfán (US), and Blake Jones (US).
ADi is an Australian contemporary artist renowned for creating totemic wooden assemblages that explore society's fixation on popular culture, brand recognition, and nostalgia. His distinctive works, often referred to as "false idols" or pop cultural artefacts, reimagine traditional religious iconography, positioning modern cultural symbols as new-age deities in place of the ancient worship of nature and gods. His practice uniquely intersects sculpture and designer toy art, extending into modern interior and object design, offering a fresh take on the cultural artefacts of our time.
2CHOEY is a Bangkok based self-taught artist. With a background is 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. Vertical presented his first USA solo show in 2023, and also presented a solo show at the Urban Art Fair in Paris.
Flog discovered a passion for drawing at an early age. He studied graphic design at the Pivaut Nantes school and made it his profession, finding his balance in producing work from illustration to the publishing world. Inspired by graffiti and pop culture, Flog's mixed media technique- aerosol spray, acrylic, and oil on road signs or canvas- reveals precision in the details. Flog’s show with Vertical at SCOPE Miami sold out in 2023. He has also had sold-out shows in Paris, Rome, and Taiwan.
Jake and Josh are a dynamic duo of twin artists who have captivated audiences with their unique blend of creativity and sibling synergy. Their work often explores the intersection of playful storytelling and creative line work, resulting in thought-provoking pieces. Their intricate attention to detail and meticulous craftsmanship invite viewers to immerse themselves in the layers of meaning within each work.
Laura Catherwood is a Chicago-based painter focused on delicately emotive illustration of plants, animals, and quiet creatures. The sense of an intimate, mysterious narrative in her work invites contemplation and extends empathy to the viewer. With soft textures and sensitive gestures, she diagrams our ambiguous feelings toward the natural order of things.
Louis (Masai) Michel is a UK-based painter, sculptor and muralist. He uses his art in the form of murals, paintings and installations as a way to highlight climate change and species equality. The subject or species, is created in the style of a cuddly plush toy, thus highlighting that if one doesn't preserve the existence of the species depicted, only toys and souvenirs will remain. Within the composition of the species are intricate details exploring cultural fabrics, popular culture and elements of conservation.
Collin van der Sluijs is a renowned painter and illustrator from Maastricht, The Netherlands, where he lives and works. He is widely recognized for his extraordinary dream-like depictions of everyday stories that question our personal pleasures and struggles, as well as society at large. Collin’s exceptional work has been published in magazines and books, and shown in galleries across the world—in The Netherlands, Germany, France, England, Belgium, Italy, United Kingdom, Spain, and USA.
Sergio Farfán blends the experiences from his hometown in Peru with the life he’s lived in Chicago to create works that focus on the struggles, dreams, and emotions that people go through in their life. Farfán began to draw as a form of therapy as he struggled through his anxiety. Whatever was troubling him or whenever he just wanted to forget what was going on in the world around him, he found refuge in his art and would draw his favorite cartoon characters he would see on TV.
Steve Seeley is an artist whose work draws inspiration from a wide range of pop culture sources including superheroes, celebrities, cartoons and comic books. Technically gifted, his artistic practice spans multiple media with a fresh sense of experimentation. His work has been exhibited throughout the US and is held in private collections worldwide.
Blake Jones 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.
Aqua Art Miami at the Aqua Hotel
1530 Collins Avenue, Miami Beach, FL 33139
Vertical Gallery Room 107
VIP Preview:
Wednesday, December 4 | 3pm-10pm
Public Hours:
Thursday, December 5 | 12pm - 9pm
Friday, December 6 | 11am - 9pm
Saturday, December 7 | 11am - 9pm
Sunday, December 8 | 11am - 6pm
A collector's preview will be sent out Saturday November 30th. Email us to be added to the preview list. Note: Some works will be available in-person only. If you need a VIP pass for the fair, please email us.
