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Vertical Gallery is very proud to present ‘Five Years,’ Chicago-based multimedia artist Sergio Farfán’s first solo exhibit.

‘Five Years,’ which runs from Nov. 6-24 at Vertical’s 1016 N. Western Ave. location, caps off the first half-decade of Farfán’s professional career while introducing daring possibilities for the next phase of the artist’s evolution. The show features new canvases and sculptures as well as a unique video installation intercutting animations of Farfán’s original characters with clips from the classic cartoons, films and music videos that inspired his formative efforts.

Farfán is no stranger to Vertical audiences. The gallery first displayed his work in a 2016 holiday-themed pop-up exhibit, and included several canvases in its 2019 and 2020 anniversary shows. In late 2020, Vertical also presented ‘Looking for Dreams in a Kan of Soup,’ a solo pop-up that explored Farfán’s debt to his boyhood hero Andy Warhol while simultaneously embracing a more playful, abstract approach that escaped Warhol’s shadow altogether — an approach that informs the dazzlingly colorful, mind-bending work presented in ‘Five Years.’  

“My five-year plan was always to do my art, be successful with it and have a solo show at Vertical Gallery. And it happened,” Farfán says. “Everything I did within those five years — experimenting with different styles and morphing them together — is in this show.”  

Farfán was born in Peru. His family relocated to Chicago when he was seven years old; as a teen, he struggled with depression, but found refuge in art therapy — a technique that utilizes creative expression as a means to address a patient’s negative thoughts, emotions and behaviors. “Art therapy is where I started to learn how to put meaning into what I was drawing,” Farfán says. “It’s fine to be not fine. That’s what my work’s about: the fact that everyone goes through stuff. It’s up to you how you want to deal with it, and if you want to take the good route or the bad route.”

In conjunction with ‘Five Years,’ Farfán and Vertical Gallery are publishing Comeuppance, a full-color monograph capturing images and recollections from the first five years of Farfán’s career. Comeuppance goes on sale Saturday, Nov. 6. 

Sergio Farfán
"5 Years"
November 6 - 24, 2021
Opening Day: Saturday, November 6th, noon-6pm
Vertical Gallery, 1016 N. Western Ave., Chicago

Vertical Gallery is proud to present Jamiah Calvin “Nothing was ever the same again” at our Vertical Project Space location at 2006 W Chicago Ave #1R, September 25 – October 24, 2021. Opening on Saturday, September 25, noon-5pm.

“Nothing was ever the same again” features 13 drawings and is the largest body of work Calvin has created. Making this show of drawings was itself an act of overcoming limiting beliefs. Having focused on paintings for years, he was encouraged by a couple fellow local artists to show his drawings. “Max (Sansing) and Kayla (Mahaffey) have been very supportive and really pushed me to show drawings after seeing them in my studio”, says Calvin. “It’s been a revitalizing experience taking a break from oil painting to focus on these drawings.”

Calvin uses children for inspiration in this new collection of sanguine and indigo drawings. By using children and adolescence in the work, he is representing innocence, and the purist aspects of our lives. Each piece carries a message that challenges the persona of beauty, love, pain and the hidden stigmas of everyday life.  He specializes in figurative drawing and painting that captures the nostalgic experiences growing up on the West side of Chicago.

Calvin graduated from Northern Illinois University with a BFA in studio art. He was featured at Black Creativity Juried Art Exhibition at the Museum of Science and Industry in 2020; painted at BlkoutWalls Mural Festival in Detroit August 2021; and has exhibited in group shows across Chicagoland.

Jamiah Calvin
“‘Nothing was ever the same again”
September 25 – October 24, 2021
Opening Weekend: Saturday & Sunday, September 25 & 26, noon-5pm
Vertical Project Space
2006 W. Chicago Ave #1R (entrance in alley off Damen)

Vertical Gallery is proud to present Wingchow “Inner Space” at Vertical Project Space, located at 2006 W Chicago Ave. #1R. The exhibition runs August 14 – September 19, opening on Saturday August 14, noon-5pm.

Wingchow is a Richmond-based artist whose work can easily be recognized through the use of distinct amorphous forms. These colorful abstractions stem from an original interest in human viscera- a visual metaphor for the parts of us that we do not see. Together, these strange and alluring shapes create an organic matter that can either remain abstract or take shape in the figurative.

Thematically, Winchow’s work is influenced by nature, mystery, magic, playtime, spiritual leanings, and day-to-day life. They aim to inspire the viewer's imagination through an exciting exploration of color and form – to beautify the spaces and communities they reside in – and to stay open to constant evolution and flow. 

Wingchow graduated from the Virginia Commonwealth University Department of Painting and Printmaking in 2014, and expanded into the world of public art in 2017. Wingchow has since painted works in Virgina, Helsinki, Miami and the DC edition of international mural festival POW! WOW! Her work was also exhibited this past year in the annual New Waves show at the Virginia Museum of Contemporary Art.

Wingchow
“Inner Space”
August 14 – September 19, 2021
Open weekends noon-5pm
Vertical Project Space
2006 W. Chicago Ave. #1R (Entrance in alley off Damen)

Vertical Project Space is very proud to present ‘Trust,’ a solo exhibit featuring new work from Nikko Locander, a.k.a. Ali Six, the Chicago-based multimedia artist and graffiti writer celebrated for his signature creation Richie the Raccoon.

‘Trust,’ which runs June 19-July 25 at Vertical Project Space’s West Town location (2006 W. Chicago Ave. #1R — enter via the alley off Damen Ave.), assembles dozens of pieces presented across a diverse range of mediums: sculptures, wood cutouts, skate decks, mirrors, found materials, even handwoven decorative rugs.

'Trust’ draws heavily on personal experiences throughout Ali Six's life, from childhood to adulthood, and makes frequent visual references to apples — for centuries, a symbol of trust playing vital roles in tales from Adam and Eve to Sir Isaac Newton's discovery of the law of gravity, as well as a traditional gift from a student to a teacher to cement their relationship. Ali Six hopes that each viewer will reminisce on their own personal experiences within this body of work, or pause to contemplate what trust truly represents.  

The self-taught Ali Six honed his craft by scaling hundreds of Chicago buildings as a graffiti artist, learning color theory and typography among other skills. His love of old cartoons inspired the creation of Richie the Raccoon: "I felt a raccoon best symbolized the night culture of graffiti,” Ali Six says. “Raccoons are nocturnal, and while everyone is asleep, graffiti artists are awake, creating masterpieces."

Locander, born and raised in Chicago’s Humboldt Park neighborhood, began his artistic journey as a five-year-old inspired by seeing his mother draw a cartoon bear for a kindergarten project. Throughout his life, he drew cartoons during class, and in high school he was introduced to graffiti. After building his reputation within vandalizing culture as Buelr (an homage to the Chicago movie classic Ferris Bueller’s Day Off), Ali Six now focuses on further popularizing Richie the Raccoon around the city and across the globe through murals and wheatpastes.

Although ‘Trust’ signals Ali Six’s solo Vertical Project Space debut, he first exhibited at Vertical Gallery in 2013 as part of the holiday-themed ‘Deck the Halls’ skate deck group show. In addition to other group and solo shows throughout the Chicagoland area, Ali Six has collaborated with brands including Nike, Timberland, Boneyard and Jugrnaut, also partnering with the NBA’s Chicago Bulls and hometown hip-hop hero Chance the Rapper.

 Ali Six
“Trust”
June 19 – July 25, 2021
Opening Day: Saturday, June 19^th noon-5
Vertical Project Space
2006 W. Chicago Ave #1R

CLICK HERE to purchase at 10am (Central Time) on Saturday, June 12

Hebru Brantley doesn’t simply create art. He builds universes. Flyboy, Lil Mama and Phibby, the characters at the nexus of Brantley’s ever-expanding fictional world, are heroes for a new age: young, fearless, and street-smart. First taking flight in murals across the artist’s native Chicago, Flyboy, Lil Mama and Phibby have since touched down everywhere from museum walls to music videos to branded merchandise, earning a fervent fan following that transcends geographies and generations. 

Editions captures Brantley’s sold-out summer 2020 exhibit at Chicago’s Vertical Gallery, collecting dozens of one-of-a-kind Flyboy, Lil Mama and Phibby screenprints in a dazzling array of colors — a process of repetition and variation evoking the pop-art innovations of Andy Warhol, a profound influence on Brantley’s career and craft. In addition to full-color reproductions of all images included in the Editions show, this 160-page collectible hardcover volume features a comprehensive history of the years-long Editions project, behind-the-scenes photos, and exclusive insights from the artist himself.

Available in-person June 9th, 10am - 5pm
Available on-line June 12th, 10am Central (We are holding 800 books for on-line release)
Note: Books are not signed. Prints are signed for the Deluxe Version - see below.

Hebru Brantley
Editions, 2021
160 page hard cover book
12 3/4 x 12 3/4 x 5/8 in.
Edition of 2500
$80
Available in-person June 9th, 10am - 5pm
Available on-line June 12th, 10am Central (We are holding 800 books for on-line release)
Note: Books are not signed. Prints are signed for the Deluxe Version below.

DELUXE BOOK & PRINT SETS

Available in-person beginning June 9th, 10am - 5pm

Guidelines for Wednesday:

• Face Masks required in the gallery
• Purchase by credit card with chip and matching photo ID only
• Limit one of each Deluxe Version image per person, maximum of 3 total. (For example, you can buy 1 Smile, 1 Lilac and 1 Phibby, but cannot buy 3 Smile.)
• No specific number requests

If there are any remaining sets, they will be available on-line June 12th, 10am Central. 

Hebru Brantley
Editions Deluxe Version with SMILE print, 2021
160 page hard cover book + 5-color 10"x10" SMILE Print
Book size: 12 3/4 x 12 3/4 x 5/8 in.
Limited edition of 150. Print is signed & numbered by Hebru Brantley.
Book, print and COA.

Hebru Brantley
Editions Deluxe Version with LILAC print, 2021
160 page hard cover book + 5-color 10"x10" LILAC Print
Book size: 12 3/4 x 12 3/4 x 5/8 in.
Limited edition of 150. Print is signed & numbered by Hebru Brantley.
Book, print and COA.

Hebru Brantley
Editions Deluxe Version with PHIBBY print, 2021
160 page hard cover book + 5-color 10"x10" PHIBBY Print
Book size: 12 3/4 x 12 3/4 x 5/8 in.
Limited edition of 150. Print is signed & numbered by Hebru Brantley.
Book, print and COA.

Hebru Brantley
Editions Deluxe Version with Silver & Gold SMILE print, 2021
160 page hard cover book + 3-color 10"x10" Metallic Silver & Gold SMILE Print
Book size: 12 3/4 x 12 3/4 x 5/8 in.
Limited edition of 25. Print is signed & numbered by Hebru Brantley.
Book, print and COA.

Hebru Brantley
Editions Deluxe Version with Silver & Gold LILAC print, 2021
160 page hard cover book + 3-color 10"x10" Metallic Silver & Gold LILAC Print
Book size: 12 3/4 x 12 3/4 x 5/8 in.
Limited edition of 25. Print is signed & numbered by Hebru Brantley.
Book, print and COA.

Hebru Brantley
Editions Deluxe Version with Silver & Gold PHIBBY print, 2021
160 page hard cover book + 3-color 10"x10" Metallic Silver & Gold PHIBBY Print
Book size: 12 3/4 x 12 3/4 x 5/8 in.
Limited edition of 25. Print is signed & numbered by Hebru Brantley.
Book, print and COA.

CLICK HERE to purchase at 10am (Central Time) on Saturday, June 12

Please email us at sales@verticalgallery.com if you have any questions.