From the moment I learned of the exhibit on Twitter, I was already super hyped. I’ve followed Swopes & Trashhand’s work for a while now, so I already knew I was in for something really cool. The event was on a Friday night, so what’s better than checking out some beautiful art & having fun?
I walked in and was instantly pleasantly surprised by the images hanging from the ceiling at the Lacuna Artist Loft. Too excited to even notice the Mountain Dew samples to the right by the entrance, I rushed past them, completely captivated by the amazing presentation at the front of the house (I definitely found them later, thank you Mountain Dew!). Every single image deserved multiple viewings to fully appreciate how well the brands were produced and just how much these were so masterfully taken. It was also extremely cool vibing with so many people, some that I knew from the scene and others that this event gave me the opportunity to meet and talk about the pieces and how awesome the show looked.
At some point of the evening I notice Jimmy Butler walking right in front of me and we coincided in observing a piece that focused on basketball titled “The Chicago Ball;” it was so cool to see someone like him there supporting Chicago art. The pieces were all black and white, which to me, gave depth to the awesome action shots. One of my personal favorite images in the exhibit was one that had the iconic character created by one of my favorite Chicago artists, Hebru Brantley, featured in the background. Another thing that really caught my attention in the pieces were the angles. There was a shot that looked like it was taken from the top of the hoop; WILD! It was such a great exhibition, I’m really glad I got to take a look and was left amazed. This made me wonder, “When/where can I see that again?” I’m totally looking forward to another show from both artists. If you haven’t yet checked out Swopes’ or Trashhand’s artwork, make sure you follow them on Twitter and/or Instagram.
Twitter- @swopes
Instagram: @swopes
Twitter- @trashhand
Instagram- @trashhand
