Oil Painter and Sculptor
"I use my work as a carrier to explore my own thoughts and fears about life and death, and the twilight between."
October Sharify is an oil painter and sculptor based in Chicago, Illinois. Their work tends to be high contrast, surreal, and chromatic, using artificially sweet pinks and dark blues. Their longtime interest in history and theology blends in their work with feminine aesthetics and spiritual imagery.
They have an African American and Persian cultural background, and often turns to the visual language of their respective culture’s past for inspiration.
More on October
"I have a vested interest in discovering as much as I can about the past as well
as the future, and in my practice yesterday constantly asks a question of tomorrow.
In contrast to the gray and brown of everyday life, I travel through deep blues and bright pinks to create scenes that evoke something spiritual and based in myth, nestled between layers of viscera."
- October Sharify
Painter
October was recently featured on the cover Create! Magazine!
Inside there's an evocative feature on October Sharify’s memory-driven paintings, and a Women Working in the Arts conversation with Hayley Price White.
CV (Abridged):
ARCHANGELS, @ HAPPY GALLERY CHICAGO —APRIL 2023
First solo exhibition where I debuted my first body of work.
THE COLDEST HOUR, @ UNITED COLORS, KANSAS CITY —SEPTEMBER 2023
Solo exhibition where I displayed my second body of work.
IT’S GIVING, BLACK HISTORY, @ UIC FIFTH FLOOR GALLERY, CHICAGO —FEBRUARY 2024
University of Illinois Chicago’s Black Student Artists and Researchers Showcase, group show.
2024 SPOTLIGHT SHOWCASE, @ ARCH ENEMY ARTS, PHILADELPHIA —MARCH 2024
Group Exhibition to showcase up and coming artists.
MATERIALIZED VISIONS: BLACK FIGURATIVE TRADITION IN CHICAGO, @ EVOKE CHICAGO, CHICAGO —MARCH 2024
Group show featuring black Chicago artists.
MATERIALIZED VISIONS 2: BLACK FIGURATIVE TRADITION IN CHICAGO, @ BLACK ARTIST’S NETWORK, CHICAGO —JUNE 2024
Group show featuring black Chicago artists, this time in partnership with the Black Artist’s Network.
25 VOTIVES, @ EVOKE CHICAGO, CHICAGO —JULY 2024
Solo show of my cumulative work accompanied by an installation made in collaboration with my representative gallery.
AUTOMATA, @ EPIPHANY CENTER FOR THE ARTS, CHICAGO —SEPTEMBER 2024
Solo show of a body of work created around a thesis.
SMALL WONDERS, @ ARCH ENEMY ARTS, PHILADELPHIA —NOVEMBER 2024
Group show with a host of other visual artists, creating small or miniature works.
PETRICHOR, @ PARLOR AND RAMP, CHICAGO —DECEMBER 2024
Group show curated by Isaiah Lee
FELLOW FEELING, @ VINO DIVINO, CHICAGO — MAY 2025
A combination dinner and art experience exploring relationships between local artists and artists who have immigrated.
SOMA, @ BIG CAR COLLABORATIVE, INDIANA —SEPTEMBER 2025
Group show curated by Yashi Davalos
CHEMICAL X, @ EVOKE GALLERY, CHICAGO —OCTOBER 2025
Group show curated by October Sharify
