Vertical Gallery

03/23/2025

When Troy Lee was 15 years old, he enrolled in an after-school art program sponsored by Chicago nonprofit Little Black Pearl (). There he met fellow South Side native Hebru Brantley (), the painter and muralist renowned for his signature characters Flyboy and Lil Mama.

“Hebru was the only instructor that I could relate to,” Lee (.lee_) recalls. “He would get me out of classes I was not interested in by saying ‘I need Troy for this mural project,’ and I would go work with him. That’s how I came into taking art seriously. He changed my life.”

Brantley’s influence resonates throughout Lee’s Vertical Gallery solo show ‘We From the Heavens,’ on display through Saturday, March 29. Pieces like “Keepers,” a 24” x 36” acrylic on canvas, bring to mind their camaraderie.

“We’d have conversations at his studio, and he dropped a lot of knowledge on me. That’s why I stuck around,” Lee says. “I feel like more of that is needed — that kind of mentorship, and just being able to relate to a young kid. There was a lot of adults who gave me the same advice that Hebru would give me, but I didn’t listen to them, because they weren’t as cool.”

03/21/2025

Vertical Gallery is proud to unveil the lineup for our 12-Year Anniversary Show, celebrating our first dozen years at the vanguard of street art, pop surrealism, graffiti and beyond.

This all-star international group exhibit, on display from April 4-26, features 10 returning artists:
Martin Whatson (NO)
2CHOEY (TH)
Jerome Tiunayan (US)
Hama Woods (NO)
Alex Krueger (US)
Arne Spangereid (NO)
Grant William Thye (US)
Daniel Sueiras Fanjul (ES)
Liz Flores (US)
Marcelo Suaznabar (BO)

Eight additional artists are showing at Vertical for the first time:
Jonlouis Gonzalez (US)
CABNOV (PH)
Matthew Shutt (UK)
Ian Inoy (PH)
Maks Simone (US) .simone
Twopy (FR)
TOPO (ES)
Glass Cuisine (US)

Last but not least, we’re debuting special-edition releases from:
Lucy Sparrow (UK)
Pure Evil (UK)
Collin van der Sluijs (NL) + Laura Catherwood (US) .catherwood

The 12-Year Anniversary Show festivities kick off Friday, April 4 with an opening reception from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m. Stay tuned for more information.



IMAGE: “First Flight-Balloon” by Martin Whatson

03/20/2025

Troy Lee .lee_ ‘We From the Heavens’ runs through March 29. We’re open Wed-Sat 12-5. All work also available online, link in bio.

03/19/2025

Emma Akpan () spotlights Troy Lee’s solo showcase ‘We From the Heavens’ for Chicago’s Newcity Art ():

“‘We From the Heavens’ depicts Black men as they are, revealing softness under facades of invincibility,” Akpan writes. “In Lee’s art, Black men do things they can’t in our real-world society, and their masculinity cannot be dismissed as harmful.”

Link to article in bio. ‘We From the Heavens’ runs through Saturday, March 29.



IMAGE: “Baby Jesus on tha Bluff” by Troy Lee (.lee_)

03/17/2025

Troy Lee's solo exhibition depicts Black men as they are, revealing softness under facades of invincibility.

03/17/2025

https://art.newcity.com/2025/03/17/challenging-black-masculinity-a-conversation-with-troy-lee-about-his-exhibition-at-vertical-gallery/

Troy Lee's solo exhibition depicts Black men as they are, revealing softness under facades of invincibility.

03/17/2025

Coming soon.

03/14/2025

Troy Lee’s solo showcase ‘We From the Heavens’ shifts the artist’s focus from interpretations of feminine sexuality (the hallmark of his earlier work under the alias Troy S**t) to interrogations of masculine vulnerability. “Shooters Will Shoot,” a 36” x 48” acrylic on canvas, brings empathy to a rite of passage synonymous with toxicity: locker room talk.

“They’re talking about girls. One or two of them are talking about sleeping with a girl, and you know they didn’t do it. But they’re lying about it for survival — for acceptance,” Lee (.lee_) explains. “Most humans want to be accepted, and so we tell stories, and sometimes we put a little extra on those stories. We lie. We do it to be accepted by our peers. Because to be accepted means to survive.”

‘We From the Heavens’ is on display now through Saturday, March 29.

03/12/2025

Many of the pieces featured in Troy Lee’s solo showcase ‘We From the Heavens’ draw inspiration from the artist’s favorite movies, television series, music videos and viral clips. “Afro Future Fantastical,” a 36” x 36” acrylic on canvas, immortalizes Ruby Rhod, the intergalactic radio host portrayed by actor and comedian Chris Tucker () in the 1997 sci-fi cult classic ‘The Fifth Element.’

“A lot of what I’m reaching for in this show comes from ideas expressed in the book ‘We Real Cool’ by [Black feminist writer] bell hooks, where she says ‘Why has there been so little positive interest shown in the alternative lifestyles of Black men?’ That really stuck out to me,” Lee (.lee_) explains. “Chris Tucker in ‘The Fifth Element’ was one of the first flamboyant images that I saw as a kid, and I remember being like ‘Oh, this character is gay.’ Back then, I was in an environment where that wasn’t okay. But now that I’m an adult, I’m like ‘Yo, this is one of the coolest dudes.’ He’s one of my favorite characters from any movie. I want it to be okay to see an image like that — and more than just okay, I want it to be cool.”

‘We From the Heavens’ is on display now through Saturday, March 29.

03/11/2025

Thank you to everyone that joined us this past weekend for the opening of Troy Lee (.lee_ ) ‘We From the Heavens’. The show runs through March 29. We are open Wed-Sat, noon-5pm. All work is also now available online, link in bio.

03/07/2025

Join Vertical this evening when we unveil painter and illustrator Troy Lee’s breakthrough solo showcase ‘We From the Heavens,’ on display through Saturday, March 29.

‘We From the Heavens’ brings Lee (.lee_) back home to Chicago five years after he left the city to live and work in Los Angeles. The exhibit’s soul-baring paintings and sketches aggressively interrogate the perceptions and realities confronting Black men in contemporary America — how they’re seen in the media, and how they see themselves in the mirror.

“My overall thing with this show is that I want to restore innocence to the Black body,” says Lee . “Most of my past work is centered around the celebration of women, but for this show, I decided to stir up conversations about men loving themselves — what’s toxic masculinity, what’s healthy masculinity, and what we can do to change these things.”

‘We From the Heavens’ also signals changes in Lee’s artistic mindset. “Usually I’m very tight when it comes to my work,” he says. “I’m a Libra, so aesthetics is very important to me, and I like to be in control when it comes to how something looks. But over the past year I’ve gotten a little bit looser, and focused more on getting the idea out, rather than having it look perfect. With this show, there’s been a lot of letting go.”

‘We From the Heavens’ takes flight with an opening reception from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m. at 2006 W. Chicago Ave. 1R; enter via the alley off Damen Avenue. Don’t miss it!

03/06/2025

How does an artist ensure that his work will arrive at its intended destination on time, and safe from damage? If you’re Troy Lee, whose hometown solo showcase ‘We From the Heavens’ premieres at Vertical Gallery on Friday, March 7, you deliver the pieces yourself — a 2,000-mile road trip from Los Angeles to Chicago, where the Vertical team immediately began installing the exhibit ahead of opening night.

“If I crated the work and had it shipped, or had someone else drive it, who knows what might happen?” a travel-weary Troy (.lee_) explained Thursday morning upon arriving at Vertical. “If something happens, I would rather it be on me than on someone else.”

Troy’s 31-hour, energy drink-fueled odyssey was not without challenges, of course. First Home Depot unceremoniously canceled the truck he reserved, forcing him to scramble for last-minute transportation options. Then a Colorado snowstorm forced him off the road overnight. Last but not least, he got pulled over by the police and issued a speeding ticket.

A fully-rested Troy will be in attendance for the ‘We From the Heavens’ opening reception, taking place at our West Town location Friday from 5:00 to 8:00 pm. See you there.

03/04/2025

It is the perfect time to start planning for Friday night! Start this Friday off right with Vertical Gallery when we launch our newest exhibit ‘We From the Heavens,’ a solo showcase for Chicago-born, Los Angeles-based painter and illustrator Troy Lee (.lee_).

‘We From the Heavens,’ on display from Friday, March 7 through Saturday, March 29, heralds a daring new chapter in Lee’s career and creative evolution. Its soul-baring paintings aggressively interrogate the perceptions and realities confronting Black men in contemporary America — how they’re seen in the media, and how they see themselves in the mirror.

Troy will be in attendance at the ‘We From the Heavens’ opening reception, taking place Friday from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m. We’re one of many neighborhood galleries open late for the March 2025 installment of the West Town First Fridays art crawl (), so stop in and say hello!

02/28/2025

There are just two days left to experience our first exhibits of 2025!

In our main showroom: ‘ALLIANCE,’ which pairs seven Chicago artists with kindred creative spirits from across the planet.

In our front showroom: ‘Something Lost; Something Gained,’ painter Christy Grossmann’s first solo gallery showcase.

Both exhibits close Saturday, March 1. Be sure to stop by the gallery today or tomorrow between noon and 5:00.

02/27/2025

Opening next Friday, March 7: Troy Lee 'We From the Heavens' https://www.artweek.com/events/united-states/art-exhibition/chicago/troy-lee-%E2%80%98we-heavens%E2%80%99

02/26/2025

Opening next Friday, March 7: Vertical Gallery is very proud to present ‘We From the Heavens,’ a solo showcase for Chicago-born, Los Angeles-based painter and illustrator Troy Lee.

‘We From the Heavens’ heralds a daring new chapter in Lee’s career and creative evolution, shifting the artist’s emphasis from feminine sexuality to masculine vulnerability. The exhibit’s soul-baring paintings and sketches aggressively interrogate the perceptions and realities confronting Black men in contemporary America — how they’re seen in the media, and how they see themselves in the mirror.

“My overall thing with this show is that I want to restore innocence to the Black body,” Lee (_troy.lee_) says. “Most of my past work is centered around the celebration of women, but for this show, I decided to stir up conversations about men loving themselves — what’s toxic masculinity, what’s healthy masculinity, and what we can do to change these things.”

‘We From the Heavens’ kicks off with an opening reception Friday, March 7 from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m. at our flagship West Town location (2006 W. Chicago Ave. ; enter via the alley off Damen Avenue). Don’t miss it.

02/25/2025

The paintings of Russia-born, Tokyo-based Yeka Haski () radiate childlike wonder and infectious joy — the same qualities at the heart of her anime series ‘Sonya from Toastville.’

You have just a handful of days to view Yeka’s contributions to our collaborative exhibit ‘ALLIANCE,’ on display in our main showroom through Saturday, March 1.

Link in bio to view ‘ALLIANCE’ online, or stop by the gallery Wednesday through Saturday from noon to 5:00.