OAKOAK

OakOak transforms the symbols of urban decay into wonders of imagination and irreverence.

OakOak (birth name classified) hails from Saint-Étienne, France, the sprawling post-industrial canvas on whose crumbling walls, cracked sidewalks and rusted manhole covers he paints everything from satirical swipes at Old Masters portraits to Pac-Man mazes. The self-taught artist first surfaced circa 2006, and quickly evolved from marker strokes and stickers to exponentially more audacious undertakings: “For me, the street is a true source of inspiration,” he says. “Some have fun on a basketball court or a football field. My playground is the streets.”

OakOak headlined his debut solo gallery exhibition in the U.K. in 2012. Vertical Gallery presented his first U.S. solo show ‘Let’s Play’ in October 2015, and in March 2021, he returned to our Chicago space for ‘some parts of parts.’ OakOak is also a fixture of Vertical’s group shows, including 2025’s ‘ALLIANCE’ and our upcoming 13-Year Anniversary Show.