Collin van der Sluijs: Collision

Collin van der Sluijs solo show (yes, he's taking over both spaces!)

Vertical Gallery is very proud to present ‘Collision,’ a solo exhibit spotlighting Netherlands-based painter Collin van der Sluijs. Running from July 9-30, ‘Collision’ — van der Sluijs’ fourth solo show at Vertical, following two years after the acclaimed ‘A Garden of Trust’ — presents the category-defying artist’s most ambitious and immersive collection to date, bringing together paintings and works on paper that reveal profound new depth and dimension in his dreamlike, deeply personal approach.

In a unique twist, ‘Collision’ occupies both Vertical’s flagship location at 1016 N. Western Ave. and Vertical Project Space at 2006 W. Chicago Ave #1R; Van der Sluijs will attend the show opening on Saturday, July 9, and will also paint two new murals during his return visit to the Chicago area.
 
‘Collision’ spreads between the two galleries 10 intricate, giant-scale canvases, five midsize canvases, 12 works on panels, and over 50 works on paper. “I created all this work over the past two years,” van der Sluijs says.  “I call the show ‘Collision’ because I feel like these strange times have caused a collision between me as a person and my work. I want to be free, and not a puppet on strings directed by anybody.”

Van der Sluijs credits the volume and variety on display in ‘Collision’ to the different experiences and environments that shape his daily routine. When in nature, for example, he focuses on watercolors and the surrounding landscape, while in the studio, he works on oil and acrylic paintings depicting a range of emotional states. Evenings at the kitchen table are devoted to sketches and watercolors, and walks through the city inspire new mural projects.
 
“Collin spent most of the lockdown biking to his studio every day and creating an amazing body of work — so many works that we decided for the first time to feature the same artist in both gallery spaces,” says Vertical Gallery owner and curator Patrick Hull. “Both locations will present work in a range of styles, with VPS [Vertical Project Space] displaying all 50 small sketches and mid-sized drawings alongside a few larger paintings, and Vertical Gallery featuring most of the works on canvas and the panels. We’re looking forward to everyone once again experiencing Collin’s world in a gallery setting.”

Van der Sluijs began writing graffiti at the age of 11, a year later commencing studies at the professional painting college in Goes. He spent the next eight years studying a range of disciplines in institutions across the Netherlands, in 2004 earning a Master’s degree in fine art from the Academy of Art and Design St. Joost in Breda. In the years since, van der Sluijs has exhibited in galleries across Europe and the U.S., also painting murals in The Hague, Berlin and Leuven, Belgium, among other locales.