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Chicago-based artist Anthony Bartley, known by his creative moniker Fading Royalty, is making vulnerability visible. His debut solo exhibition, Words I’ve Never Said, opened on Friday, April 18, at Connect Gallery in Hyde Park and runs through May 22. It’s not just a showcase of paintings—it’s an experience rooted in healing, honesty, and human connection.
The exhibition is deeply personal. For Bartley, art began as a lifeline. After battling anxiety and depression, he first turned to painting as a form of therapy during college. What emerged from that moment of survival is a visual language of introspection—one that now speaks to anyone who's ever had something to say but couldn’t find the words.
“Art is therapy for me before it’s anything else,” he explains. “Before it’s for a gallery. Before it’s for the community. It saved me first.”
Raised on anime and comic books, Bartley’s early inspirations included characters from Naruto and One Piece, but his creative turning point came when he discovered Takashi Murakami—specifically Murakami’s work on Kanye West’s Good Morning video. That moment shifted his understanding of what art could be: emotionally expressive, visually bold, and culturally expansive.
You’ll see those threads woven throughout Words I’ve Never Said. His work pulls from Japanese visual culture and fuses it with a deeply Black emotional lens, creating portraits and imagery that feel intimate yet universal. The exhibition title itself comes from the idea that every piece represents a moment or feeling he didn’t know how to express—until now.
One of the most powerful elements of the show is the interactive installation. Visitors are encouraged to respond to the question “When was the last time you felt like this?” on sticky notes placed near each piece. It’s a quiet but profound act of communal storytelling—making the space not only reflective, but relational.
“We don’t often get to see Black people represented in art when they’re just… sad. Not destroyed, not angry, just navigating everyday sadness,” Bartley says. “I wanted to create that space.”
In addition to the exhibit, Bartley has curated over ten free community events during the show’s run, from holistic healing workshops to portrait days and creative pop-ups. It’s part of his mission to make the gallery feel welcoming to those who may not have grown up seeing themselves reflected in such spaces.
“I didn’t grow up thinking galleries were for me,” he says. “So I created the one I needed.”
There’s no centerpiece, no single painting meant to steal the show. Instead, the exhibition moves like memory—nonlinear, emotional, and fluid. It’s a space where the viewer’s interpretation is just as important as the artist’s intention.
Whether you come for the art, the programming, or simply to feel seen, Words I’ve Never Said is an invitation to bring your full self into the room—and leave a little lighter.
Visit the ShowWords I’ve Never Said by Fading Royalty (Anthony Bartley)Connect Gallery | 1520 E. Harper Ct., Chicago, ILOpen April 18 – May 22, 2025Programming announced via Instagram: @fadingroyaltyMore info: www.fadingroyalty.com