Urban Grain is a solo exhibition by sculptural street artist CLs, opening Friday, September 18 from 5 to 9pm, with additional open hours Saturday, September 19 from 12 to 5pm. The exhibition runs through October 31 at Elephant Room Gallery.

This collection is a series of 17 abstract works constructed from reclaimed wood sourced from the artist’s own installations on the streets of Chicago. Once existing as a singular intervention within the public realm, CLs dismantles, preserves and reconfigures his public wood installations into a new body of work. Urban Grain examines material memory, transformation and the passage of time. The wood serves as both medium and archive, carrying the physical traces of its previous life while assuming new forms and meanings. Layers of resin over the wood seal the surfaces, creating a suspended space where history, erosion and renewal coexist. Each piece is paired with a photograph of the original street installation, so the viewer can see where the piece was originally installed and how it interacted with the environment over the years.

“Through this work I explore how overlooked materials can hold stories, resilience, and beauty, inviting viewers to reconsider the boundaries between public space and personal expression, abandonment and significance.” — CLs

CLs creates sculptural street art that transforms overlooked urban spaces into evolving, living compositions. His work is rooted in Bauhaus and De Stijl principles, blending structure, abstraction and function into three-dimensional relief murals. Using logically sourced wood, he constructs layered forms that integrate into the environment, giving discarded materials new life. CLs’ work is most visible in Chicago, Denver and Athens, Greece. Traveling frequently, his work can also be found in Hong Kong, New York, France, Vietnam, Jordan and more.