Jamiah Calvin "Nothing was ever the same again"

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. The gallery is open weekends, 12-5.

“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.