This time, VERDY didn't put himself at the center of the show. "In Good Company" marks his first joint exhibition with longtime creative partner Paulo Calle, staged at GYRE Gallery in Tokyo's Shibuya district. Their story goes back to a first meeting in Tokyo in 2015 — since then, the two have built up Girls Don't Cry and Wasted Youth together. For this exhibition, it only made sense to return to the city where it all began.
Calle takes the lead as curator on this one, and the 14 artists selected aren't organized around a single theme — they're organized around VERDY himself. These are creators who genuinely influenced him, people whose work he wanted to show alongside his own. The exhibition spans painting, photography, and sculpture, and is on view now at GYRE Gallery through September 27.
Among the works, Zoé Blue M. presents a diptych painting — her playful Little Table Tokyo Tennis x ASICS mascot characters recently drew attention during Paris Fashion Week. Alake Shilling and Diana Yesenia Alvarado each contribute their own mischievous-looking animal ceramic sculptures. The abstract paintings come from Reginald Sylvester II — the very artist who first introduced VERDY and Calle to each other, making him, in a sense, the key figure behind this whole show's origin. VERDY's own work is also part of the lineup.
In its description of the exhibition, GYRE Gallery writes that the show "starts from a feeling and a sense of resonance," presenting "the comfort, familiarity, emotion, and creative inspiration these artists and their work have given us over the years."
The full list of participating artists: Aijani Payne, Alake Shilling, Cam Hicks, Coco Capitán, Devin B. Johnson, Diana Yesenia Alvarado, Jan Gatewood, Jaynard Caparoso, Keita Shirayama, Raina Lee, Reginald Sylvester II, Shaniqwa Jarvis, VERDY, and Zoé Blue M. "In Good Company" is currently on view at GYRE Gallery in Shibuya, Tokyo, running through September 27.
