Troy Lee

Troy Lee’s soul-baring paintings aggressively interrogate the perceptions and realities of Black life in contemporary America.

Troy, a native of Chicago’s South Side, drew incessantly throughout childhood, and at age 15 he signed up for an after-school art program sponsored by local nonprofit Little Black Pearl, where he studied under the tutelage of painter and muralist Hebru Brantley. Troy interned for Hebru while attending the Art Institute of Chicago, eventually dropping out to focus on his professional pursuits; a pair of local solo exhibits (both credited to his onetime alias, Troy Scat) preceded his Vertical Gallery debut, the 2021 group show ‘#INK.’

Troy subsequently appeared at the Vertical Project Space location’s one-year anniversary group show, returning in 2022 by ‘#INK2’ and again in 2024 for Vertical’s 11-year anniversary group show. The powerful ‘We From the Heavens,’ a solo showcase inspired by subtle but significant moments nestled deep within Troy’s favorite movies, television series, music videos and viral clips, followed in early 2025, and he will close out the year as one of the artists featured in Vertical’s all-star Aqua Art Miami 2025 lineup. Contact us at sales@verticalgallery.com to be added to the collector preview.