COUNTERPARTS featuring Joseph Renda Jr., CROP, and Pizza in the Rain

Vertical Gallery presents “Counterparts” featuring Chicago’s top, rising artists Joseph Renda Jr., CROP, and Pizza in the Rain. In their first trio show, expect a small taste of what Chicago has to offer in a diverse collection of personal style, medium, and content. The exhibition runs July 7 – 28, with an opening reception with the artist on Saturday, July 7th, 6:00-10:00pm.

Fine artist Joseph Renda Jr. is a recent graduate from the American Academy of Art and is intrigued with unifying conflicting ideas such as life and entropy, chaos and order and nature and mankind. Different styles can be seen through his work from classicism, abstraction to urban contemporary art.  Joseph utilizes urban materials such as spray-paint with traditional oil painting mediums and techniques.  Now with a degree in hand, this young artist is here to stay and will be a major player in the contemporary art world for years to come.

Crop (aka Alex K Krueger) is a visual artist from Chicago. His work acts as a diary of emotional responses to the highs and lows of daily stimulations and consumption. The buildup of layers, lines, color, form and abstractions speak to Crop’s methodology, the complete transformation of the medium that renders newfangled forms. Crop’s process is an adventure— teetering on light and dark, ghostly and loud—until the layers and lines feel complete. This brilliant mixed media artist crosses into uncharted  artistic territory and is on the verge of major notoriety.

Self-taught artist PizzaInTheRain (or PITR) celebrates working on collaborations with other artists and unsanctioned figurative work on walls across Chicago, the US, and overseas. PITR finds inspiration in the concept of public art and the underlying deviance that goes along with creating and painting anywhere, regardless of permission. His pieces are often site-specific as he likes his work to harmoniously interact with the surrounding area.  As an underground artist, this is a rare opportunity to see his work in a gallery setting.