News — Alex Face

Vertical Gallery, Alex Face make their ‘Impressions’ on New York City

Vertical Gallery, Chicago’s premier urban-contemporary art gallery, is very proud to present ‘Impressions,’ celebrated Thai street artist Alex Face’s first New York City solo exhibit. 

‘Impressions,’ produced by Vertical Gallery, commemorates the 150th anniversary of the Impressionist movement, projecting Alex Face’s signature child characters into dreamlike landscapes inspired by Claude Monet and other fin-de-siècle French masters. The show runs Oct. 10-26 at 247 Elizabeth Street, NYC, 10012, kicking off with an opening reception on Thursday, Oct. 10 from 5:00 to 9:00 pm ET.

‘Impressions,’ which follows roughly two years after Vertical Gallery’s Chicago flagship hosted Alex’s solo showcase ‘Faces,’ reinterprets Impressionism’s spirit and sensibilities for the 21st century, embracing the movement’s most enduring innovations — among them discontinuous brushstrokes, shimmering colors and radical contrasts between shadows and light — while remaining true to the Bangkok-based painter’s stylistic hallmarks and thematic concerns. 

“I studied fine art [at Bangkok's King Mongktut University Institute of Technology] and I love graffiti and street art, and I wanted to mix them together,” Alex (born Patcharapol Tangruen) says. “When I first saw Impressionist painting, it made me want to be an Impressionist artist. I always carried my canvas and paints outside to paint landscapes, and Impressionists were the first artists to paint outside. What they did is really no different from street artists spray-painting graffiti on a wall.”  

Alex learned Impressionist techniques firsthand when he worked for a Thai company that sold reproductions of Impressionist-era paintings. “I painted a lot of reproductions, and I learned a lot. I even tried to mix the exact same colors of paint they used, but there’s almost too much color in those paintings for your eye to see,” he recalls. “When I had a chance to go to Europe to see real Impressionist paintings, I realized they were so much different than they seem in books. It’s not only one layer of paint. They painted over and over and over. That’s what I’m doing for this show: I paint the first layer and let it dry, and then I paint another layer and let it dry. I want that same texture.” 

‘Impressions’ breaks with Impressionist trademarks and tools by incorporating spray-painted images of children in fuzzy animal costumes — avatars instantly familiar to longtime Alex Face enthusiasts. “I paint little children because they represent the future,” Alex explains, noting that the show prominently features wolf and rabbit characters (signifying hunters and prey, respectively). 

Alex Face made his Vertical Gallery debut in 2019, co-headlining the exhibit ‘Mythical Creatures’ opposite fellow Bangkok street artist Muebon. He subsequently contributed to Vertical group shows including ‘Atomic Number 13’ (2021) and ‘Ode To…’ (2023). In addition to solo outings in Los Angeles and Singapore, his work resides in MOCA Bangkok’s permanent collection.

Show Details:
Vertical Gallery presents Alex Face “Impressions”
October 10-26, 2024
Opening Thursday, October 10^th, 5:00-9:00pm
247 Elizabeth Street, NYC, 10012

Email us at sales@verticalgallery.com for the collector's preview.

Vertical Gallery is excited to present two special shows celebrating our 10-Year Anniversary! 

Opening first on March 11 at Vertical Project Space:
March 11 - April 16: Vertical Gallery 10-Year Anniversary Show Part 1 at Vertical Project Space featuring: Chris Uphues, Rae Denise (Racheal Scotland), AJ Ainscough, Laura Catherwood, Van Dam One, Goosenek, Melissa Villarreal, Angel Onofre, Matt Zuska and Jordan Ferguson.

Vertical Project Space is located at 2006 W Chicago Ave #1R (entrance in alley off Damen). Open weekends 12-5.

VIEW PART ONE HERE

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.

Alex Face wall murals – new 2022

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 Alex Face’s first full-gallery USA solo show. Following up on the sold-out two person show (with MueBon) in 2019, Alex Face returns with this incredible new collection of work.

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

Vertical Gallery, Chicago’s premier urban-contemporary art gallery, presents “Miami in Chicago,” a winter group show running Dec. 1–26, 2020.

“Miami in Chicago” features new work from the same talent — Martin Whatson, Alex Face, Mau Mau, Collin van der Sluijs, Joseph Renda Jr., Mysterious Al and David Heo — that Vertical planned to feature in Miami Beach in conjunction with Art Basel’s postponed Miami Art Week 2020 event. Vertical kicks off the month-long exhibit Tuesday, Dec. 1 from noon to 6:00 pm at the gallery’s 1016 N. Western Ave location.

“Just because the in-person art fairs have been cancelled doesn’t mean we can’t still celebrate the artists that have been working all year on their collection of work,” says Patrick Hull, owner of Vertical Gallery. “We have a very strong group show roster for Miami Art Week, and are excited to feature all of the artists in our Chicago gallery for the entire month of December.”

“Miami in Chicago” gathers artists from across the globe:

Martin Whatson is a Norwegian street artist best known for calligraphic scribbles in grayscale voids. Over the past decade, Whatson has developed an unmistakable aesthetic combining abstract movement with figurative stenciled compositions: His works mirror the rise and fall of the streets, as he symbolically recreates the urban environment, then vandalizes it to reveal his vibrant transformations.

Alex Face is one of Thailand’s most respected and prolific street artists. On the surface, his work appears playful and lighthearted, but upon closer inspection each of his pieces explores deeper themes of poverty, environmental crisis and the present and future of society. His iconic bunny character, Mardi — initially inspired by his daughter — represents the feeling of confronting a troubled world as a vulnerable child.

Mau Mau is a renowned British urban graffiti artist who’s gained an international following with his humorous street, print and graffiti work. His efforts incorporate political, environmental and cultural commentary, often featuring his trademark character, a mischievous and fun-loving fox. With roots planted in the surf and country vibes of the North Devon coast, Mau Mau brings an air of rural sophistication to the art he has been creating for 20 years.

Collin van der Sluijs is a category-defying Netherlands-based artist whose dreamlike, deeply personal work employs a rich color palette and vibrant brush strokes evoking the Dutch masters of centuries past. His third and most recent Vertical Gallery solo exhibit, 2020’s “A Garden of Trust,” revealed profound new depths and dimensions, with van der Sluijs drawing on influences as diverse as vintage comics and his grandfather’s exotic bird aviary to produce his most ambitious, immersive canvases to date.

Joseph Renda Jr. is a Chicago-based artist whose paintings capture the symbiotic connection between humans and the natural world. Inspired by leaders in surrealism including Salvador Dali and Rene Magritte, Renda often depicts highly realistic human forms interwoven with illusive natural elements; his use of classical oil painting methods and modern materials, such as spray paint, provide his work with a distinct combination of old and new artistic techniques.

Mysterious Al is an Australian-based contemporary artist who rose to fame in the early 2000’s alongside contemporaries/fellow street art pioneers D*face and Banksy, developing a notoriety for wall paintings, paste-ups and street installations. His latest paintings are based on ancient tribal masks, reimagined in wild contemporary colors. His work is striking and at first glance intimidating — but look closer, and you’ll see pieces that poke fun at man’s vulnerable psyche and fragile sense of self.

David Heo is a Chicago-based artist known for paintings and collages using non-traditional materials like crayons, house paint and construction paper. Named one of New City’s Breakout Artists for 2020, Heo’s visceral, provocative work frequently documents observations and experiences from his own life, with an emphasis on the complex, emotionally charged interactions taking place in bars, nightclubs and other after-hours milieus. “Honey and Smoke” — his debut solo show at Vertical in March 2020 — sold out on opening night.

Miami in Chicago
December 1 - 26, 2020
Opening day, Tuesday, December 1^st, noon - 6:00pm
Vertical Gallery, 1016 N Western Ave., Chicago