News — Adam Augustyn

Vertical Gallery is proud to present “Hero’s Journey” the solo exhibit from Chicago-based painter, Adam Augustyn.

“Hero’s Journey,” which runs September 6-28 and opens with a reception on September 6th from 5-8 pm, follows a series of morphing characters as they travel into the unknown, strung with tokens and saddled with belongings from their past phases as they move toward new realms. The series also represents the artist’s personal reflection of his own venture back into painting and the adventure that is parenting three ever-changing girls.

“My work typically obsesses over darker themes reflecting current events rendered bright and cartoonish–it’s my form of sense-making when I’m mad at the world. But for this show, I wanted to focus more on the personal–on the strength of individuals who knowingly embark on adventure and have the wherewithal to appreciate the journey while the journey is in motion, simultaneously celebrating life, and taking joy in overcoming obstacles.”

Augustyn fostered a love of art from a young age and across many forms, spanning film, special effects, games, and sculpture. His career has focused on creating art and animation and providing art direction for video games. This is his second solo show with the gallery, following “The Sky Is Falling” in 2022. He has participated in numerous group shows, showing work in Philadelphia, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Chicago.

Adam Augustyn
“Hero’s Journey”
September 6 – 28, 2024
Opening night, Friday September 6^th, 5:00-8:00pm
Vertical Gallery, 2006 W Chicago Ave. #1R, Chicago

Vertical Gallery is proud to present ‘The Sky Is Falling,’ the debut solo exhibition from Chicago-based painter and animator Adam Augustyn.

‘The Sky Is Falling,’ which runs from Jan. 29 to Feb. 27 at Vertical Project Space’s West Town location (2006 W. Chicago Ave. #1R) assembles paintings created in response to the proliferation and normalization of fringe conspiracy theories and the difficulty in parsing real from fantastical threats in today's world.

According to Augustyn, the works featured in ‘The Sky Is Falling’ summon motion and depict disasters both real and manmade, simulating the sense of bombardment and urgency created by the news cycle as well as the social communities and corporate interests that feed it. The viewer is asked to parse friend from foe in colorful but sinister cityscapes populated by humans and monsters alike.

“The paintings pose the question of ‘Fight or flight?’ from a fresh lens,” Augustyn says. “Do we engage and confront the exaggeration, or do we withdraw from the society that permits it — and implicitly, is the grass any greener upon escape?”

Augustyn's work is inspired by animation, mythology, music, cults, horror films, his hometown of Chicago, and the latest obsessions of his three daughters. His paintings play with scale, color, and theme to produce the unexpected (oversized humans, vibrant playful demons) and to emphasize the impact of our choices, actions and moods on the environment around us.

Augustyn has previously exhibited in group shows in Chicago, Los Angeles and Seattle.

Adam Augustyn
‘The Sky is Falling’
January 29 – February 27, 2022
Vertical Project Space
2006 W. Chicago Ave. #1R
The gallery is open weekends, 12-5 pm.