Dog Kicking in its Sleep
Guild Room
July 19, 2026 - September 20th, 2026
Dog Kicking in its Sleep is the first solo exhibition from Chicago based artist Ethan Shay-Cowell. His work combines observation with surrealist invention and symbolism to create dark, dream-like spaces that bridge the physical world with the ever-present allegory unfolding beneath it.
These works created between 2022 and 2026 were inspired by the artist's time spent living and studying in Chicago, as well as the increasing volatility of the global political theatre. The paintings are a response to uncertainty and conflict, both within and outside of the self, searching our stories and symbols for meaning that withstand this volatility. His practice personifies time and space as a parent and teacher in a way that blurs the line between art making and theistic reflection, seeking an intimacy that is only possible through confrontation.
The exhibition aims to create a moment in which the artist's works can together express a portrait of human nature in its juxtaposing elements as to be faithful to its complexity.
Ethan Shay-Cowell is an artist from the San Francisco Bay Area, currently based in Chicago’s Chinatown neighborhood. As a second generation Chinese immigrant, Ethan began as a graffiti artist in California, and his influences now range from the impressionist masters of the late 19th and early 20th centuries to the motifs and figuration of traditional Japanese woodblock prints. He specializes in watercolor and oil painting, using these mediums to explore themes of psychology, philosophy, and politics. His work focuses on communicating narrative and metaphor through figure, space and pattern. He holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.
RSVP for the opening reception on Sunday, July 19th from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. at the link below:
RSVP for the closing reception on Sunday, September 20th from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. at the link below:
Click HERE for more information on gallery hours and private appointments.
Dog Kicking in its Sleep
Guild Room
July 19, 2026 - September 20th, 2026
Dog Kicking in its Sleep is the first solo exhibition from Chicago based artist Ethan Shay-Cowell. His work combines observation with surrealist invention and symbolism to create dark, dream-like spaces that bridge the physical world with the ever-present allegory unfolding beneath it.
These works created between 2022 and 2026 were inspired by the artist's time spent living and studying in Chicago, as well as the increasing volatility of the global political theatre. The paintings are a response to uncertainty and conflict, both within and outside of the self, searching our stories and symbols for meaning that withstand this volatility. His practice personifies time and space as a parent and teacher in a way that blurs the line between art making and theistic reflection, seeking an intimacy that is only possible through confrontation.
The exhibition aims to create a moment in which the artist's works can together express a portrait of human nature in its juxtaposing elements as to be faithful to its complexity.
Ethan Shay-Cowell is an artist from the San Francisco Bay Area, currently based in Chicago’s Chinatown neighborhood. As a second generation Chinese immigrant, Ethan began as a graffiti artist in California, and his influences now range from the impressionist masters of the late 19th and early 20th centuries to the motifs and figuration of traditional Japanese woodblock prints. He specializes in watercolor and oil painting, using these mediums to explore themes of psychology, philosophy, and politics. His work focuses on communicating narrative and metaphor through figure, space and pattern. He holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.
RSVP for the opening reception on Sunday, July 19th from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. at the link below:
RSVP for the closing reception on Sunday, September 20th from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. at the link below:
Click HERE for more information on gallery hours and private appointments.
