Mau Mau: ‘#wishyouwerehere..’
@ Vertical Gallery
2006 W Chicago Ave. #1R, Chicago, IL 60622
Opening Friday, July 11th, from 5PM - 8PM
On view through Saturday, August 9th
Vertical Gallery, Chicago’s premier urban-contemporary art gallery, is very proud to present ‘#wishyouwerehere..,’ the much-anticipated return of British graffiti legend Mau Mau.
‘#wishyouwerehere..,’ on display July 11 through Aug. 9, wryly surveys the wreckage of a planet in epistemic freefall: a misinformation wasteland where seeing is no longer believing. The exhibition brings Mau Mau back to Chicago for the first time since 2019’s Vertical showcase ‘Bombing walls and painting bridges,’ his U.S. solo debut, and during the intervening years, the artist’s career-long preoccupations — social injustice, corporate greed and environmental catastrophe foremost among them — have grown even more pervasive, intensified by political and technological forces conspiring to tear apart the fabric of reality.
“‘#wishyouwerehere..’ is about deceptions,” Mau Mau says. “We’re bombarded with social media images, and there’s a lot of confusion out there about what’s true and what isn’t. At this moment, the truth seems to be for sale.”
Mau Mau’s work graces cityscapes, galleries and private collections the world over. His career is the subject of the retrospective ‘Talking Out of My Art,’ published in 2024 by Velocity Press; Mau Mau will be signing copies of the book during Vertical’s ‘#wishyouwerehere..’ opening-night reception, taking place Friday, July 11 from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m. at 2006 W. Chicago Ave. #1R, enter via the alley off Damen Avenue.
Official Website
More events on this date
Tags: Chicago, Mau Mau, Mau Mau: '#wishyouwerehere..', Vertical Gallery, West Town
« previous event
next event »