Humboldt Park – Starting Monday, the Coming Soon gallery at 3701 W. Division St. will host “The Artwork of Rupture,” an exhibit featuring 75 pieces by six Chicago illustrators. The show spotlights the visual development of “Rupture,” a fast‑paced fighting tabletop card game created by local entrepreneur Henry Bruce.
Local creators bring game art to the public
Bruce, a Bucktown product manager, designed “Rupture” to emulate the excitement of video‑game fighting titles using trading‑card mechanics. The game includes six distinct characters, each illustrated by a different artist who was asked to employ their own style. The resulting collection ranges from watercolor and oil painting to digital, comic‑book, anime‑esque, and botanical illustrations.
Participating artists include Chicago illustrators Henry Adams, Pat Lyne, Julia Guillory, Kailyn Perry, Kate Summers, as well as two European contributors – Ari Oliver and an artist known as Arancia. Each will display at least two framed character studies, and all works will be available for purchase.
Supporting Chicago’s art community
Bruce says the exhibit serves a dual purpose: it promotes the upcoming Kickstarter campaign for “Rupture,” slated to launch in February, and it provides overdue recognition for local art talent. “I want to share the beauty of game artwork; it’s a subgenre that doesn’t get a lot of shine,” he explained. “People love games because of the artwork, yet it’s rarely celebrated as fine art.”
The game itself contains 360 cards, featuring roughly 90 original pieces commissioned from local creators. Bruce sourced the artists through social media, personal contacts, and the Chicago Artists Coalition, a nonprofit that supports emerging talent.
Exhibit details
The show opens by appointment on weekdays and welcomes the public from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. on weekends through November 23. Interested visitors can arrange private viewings via Bruce’s Instagram account.
“Rupture” has already begun building momentum in Chicago’s gaming scene, with Bruce hosting play sessions at local game cafés and collaborating with printing firms to prepare the final product. The upcoming exhibit underscores the city’s vibrant intersection of gaming, art, and entrepreneurship.
Original reporting: Block Club Chicago — read the source article.
