Vertical Gallery is very proud to present “Mythical Creatures,” the first-ever U.S. showing of Alex Face and MUEBON, two of Asia’s most acclaimed and incisive street artists. The show runs from August 10-31, 2019, with an opening reception taking place at Vertical’s 1016 N. Western Ave. location from 6:00-9:00 pm on Saturday, Aug. 10.

Thailand native Alex Face best known for his signature character Mardi, a three-eyed child often presented in a fuzzy rabbit costume. Inspired by the artist’s own young daughter, Mardi is by turns world-weary and wry, challenging viewers to consider the legacy that our children will inherit as well as what the future holds for successive generations. Long a fixture across the Bangkok cityscape and the Thai countryside, Mardi now adorns walls in locations including Tokyo, Seoul, Taipei, Jakarta, Oslo, Amsterdam and Paris — and soon, Chicago.

Bangkok-based MUEBON is renowned for biting social commentary on subjects spanning from wealth disparity to environmental activism to the pervasive influence of contemporary media — messages he delivers via his rotating cast of colorful characters, including a flightless cartoon bird named PUKRUK and Mr. TV, possessor of a television screen face. MUEBON is perhaps most synonymous with his Mickey Mouse-inspired skull stickers and wheatpastes, memento mori urging viewers to expel their feelings of anger, frustration and hopelessness in favor of embracing acceptance and finding inner peace.