Then-and-Now | art

OCT 12 - NOV 23, 2024

FEATURING ARTIST:

KEVIN A. WILLIAMS

CONNECT GALLERY. HYDE PARK. CHICAGO

This exhibition explores a journey through time and history from the lens of Black Culture. Acknowledging that no matter how much things change, over time they seem to remain the same. The viewer is challenged with the notion that evolution does not prevent the inevitable journey of life from coming full circle.

NOW & THEN becomes THEN & NOW.

EXHIBITION CATALOG

CHICAGO (CBS) -- An accomplished artist makes a trip back home, reflecting on his roots, and sharing his story about his "Sweet Home Chicago" years.

Kevin A. Williams, known by his artist moniker WAK, got his start in life and in art in the heart of the South Shore neighborhood.

"It's been a beautiful journey. This was probably the best of times, when you don't know how it's going to turn out," he said.

It was in South Shore that a teenage Williams was convinced that art could be his life's work.

Williams, whose paintings now are celebrated around the world, and hanging in galleries, first found a paying audience on East 87th Street.

EXPLORE THE EXHIBITION

KEVIN A. WILLIAMS (WAK)

Kevin A. Williams, known to collectors and aficionados as WAK, has been hailed a modern-day Norman Rockwell for Black America-except his paintings don't just charm, they stir the soul. Where Rockwell captured quaint Americana, Williams delivers raw, unapologetic elegance, spotlighting the beauty, resilience, and complexities of African-American life throughout history. With a career spanning more than 40 years, Williams‘ work blends realism with rich, emotional storytelling, making him one of today’s living masters, a painter who immortalizes everyday heroes with a brush as bold as his vision. If Rockwell chronicled America's ideal, Williams reminds us who built it.

Kevin A. Williams

2024