Elephant Room Gallery is excited to present “Fly Away: A Different View” by Chicago-based artist Myron Laban. The basketball-themed exhibition opens in conjunction with the start of NBA All-Star Weekend. Elephant Room Gallery is located at 704 S Wabash Ave. in the South Loop Neighborhood of Chicago.

“Fly Away: A Different View” by Myron Laban is an exhibition of multimedia basketball illustrations composed of painting, drawing, and collage. In this series, Myron explores the process, movement, and iconic imagery in basketball through his unique interpretation of figures in movement combined with flowers, vibrant colors, abstract shapes, and objects.

The explorative element of this work is important as the artist uses these athletic figures as inspiration to demonstrate that growth comes with consistent determination and experimentation. Imperfection is welcome as the artist utilizes abstraction, brushstrokes, and sketched elements. The message behind the series is that if you continue to strive and push forward, even amidst falling, you will grow and eventually, fly.

Myron Laban (b. 1994) is a Chicago-based visual artist, musician, and pharmacist born of Egyptian immigrants. His work focuses on the human condition, with a constant conversation on overcoming struggle and finding one’s light. These ideas are conveyed with his playful illustrations of faceless figures, including his trademark “Uplift” figure with a boy on top of his shoulders.

Conversely, these ideas are also represented by his vivid surrealistic pieces exploding with elements of basketball, pastel colors, flowers, and abstract shapes. His work is heavily incorporated into the community through his numerous murals spanning every corner of the city, his work with nonprofits, and countless collaborations. Myron has been featured in PBS, CBS, USA Today, and other notable media outlets. His ultimate goal is to uplift the world through his art.