Chicago artist Lucca Colombelli founded Povos in 2020 as an online gallery. After a run of successful pop-up projects, Povos moved to its first physical space on Milwaukee Avenue in late 2021, and later to a larger gallery in Chicago’s West Town. In 2024, Povos partnered with artist and gallerist Winston Guo, founder of W. Gallery, leading to the opening of Povos Downtown. This expansion allows Povos to open 10 exhibitions per year. Since its founding, Povos has produced 36 exhibitions featuring more than 160 unique artists.
Povos amplifies the voices of emerging and early-career artists, focusing on unique, surreal, and politically engaged narratives. The gallery now aims to build its international platform, supporting artists committed to exploring deep and timeless truths.
Member New Art Dealers Alliance (NADA).
Image: Installation View: William Schaeuble, FIGHTS, 2024
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Originally intended to debut during Povos Gallery’s first international art fair appearance at Feria Material, Vol. 11 in Mexico City this past February, the triptych’s arrival was delayed by an international shipping mishap. In response, Mellado staged a remarkable eight-hour live drawing performance on-site, recreating her paintings to scale in charcoal within the empty, hand-embellished frames she had prepared for the fair.
Rendered in charcoal, Baile para el Señor de los Muertos speaks to the impermanence of life, the necessity of embracing uncertainty, and the inevitability of loss—inviting viewers into a meditation on resilience and transformation.
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