Brad Perkins is a Chicago-based photographer who travels the world for great photos, seeking to capture the essence of a place by looking at what's been left behind. His work takes on invisibility, abandonment and neglect by looking at buildings and places and asking, “what’s in there?” and “what happened here?” His background in journalism and history helps him imagine the stories of people, places and things that have been forgotten, ignored or just hidden in plain sight. He finds beauty in abandonment and solace in lost buildings.

JURIED SHOWS2024: Art at the Airport, Quad City Arts, Rock Island, Ill.2023: Vicinity, Perspective Gallery, Evanston, Ill.2022: Annual Art Competition, Bridgeport Art Center, Chicago2021: 100th Anniversary Show, Oak Park Art League, Oak Park, Ill. (First Prize)2021: Femalia, Praxis Gallery, Minneapolis2020: Something Wicked, Side Street Studio, Elgin, Ill.2020: Vicinity, Perspective Gallery, Evanston, Ill. (First Runner Up)2020: Juxtaposition, Ice House Gallery, Evanston, Ill.2019: New York Center for Photographic Arts, Jadite Gallery, New York City (Juror’s Selection)2019: Vicinity, Perspective Gallery, Evanston, Ill.2017: There’s A Crack in Everything, Perkolator Gallery, Chicago2017: National Juried Photography Exhibition, Morpho Gallery, Chicago2017: Art for Life, Venue One, Chicago2017: Random Acts of Gallery’s All About Beer, Empirical Gallery, Chicago2016: Focus: Light and Shadow, Black Box Gallery, Portland, Ore.2016: Emerging Artists, Morpho Gallery, Chicago2015: Lincoln Square Art Walk, Best of Art Walk and Decorium Gallery, Chicago2014: Blue, Darkroom Gallery, Essex Junction, Vt.HONORS AND AWARDSFirst Prize, Oak Park Art League’s 100th Anniversary Show for “Into the Garden”, September 2021First Runner-Up, Perspective Gallery’s “Vicinity” for From the Garden, July 2020Juror’s Selection. New York Center for Photographic Arts’ Trees and Arches, Jadite Gallery, New York City. September 2019.Finalist, Reflections Contest, Motif Collective, March 2017Finalist, “Going Nowhere,” Transportation Contest, Motif Collective, April 2016Honorable Mention, “What’s Outside,” Doorways and Passages Contest, Terrabella Media, December 2015Finalist, “Into the Shadows,” Lines Contest, Motif Collective, September 2015Finalist, “Heaven and Hell,” Reflections Contest, Motif Collective, July 2015MEDIA AND PUBLIC COLLECTIONSUrban Renewal Gallery, Joliet Prison, Chicago, 2019-20F-Stop Magazine, 2017, April 2022 and “Open Theme” June 2023Ain’t-Bad Magazine, “What We’ve Found--Color”, April 2017Lenscratch, Masks Exhibition, October 2016Huffington Post, “18 Places in Chicago to Go When You Need to Recharge & Feel Inspired”, November 2013Huffington Post, “13 Inspiring Photos of Chicago”, May 2014