The 109 Gallery in Historic Downtown Chickamauga is featuring Life / Death, a collaborative exhibition featuring painters Adam Romano and Kaleb Knowles, on display through July 25.
Recently I had the privilege of meeting artist Kaleb Knowles. A Marine Veteran, Knowles was injured during military service sustaining a traumatic brain injury. When he went to attend his first music therapy course and the therapist was a no-show. So, he attended an art therapy session instead and not by choice. Today, Knowles is a full-time accomplished artist and serves as the President of the Chattanooga Civic Arts League.
When we met back in February, he mentioned he was working on a collaborative exhibition with fellow artist Adam Romano. Sadly, I couldn’t attend the opening on June 27, however I did recently make an appointment with Gallery 109 founder and curator Leah Dalton, and I was able to experience all the incredible artwork in an intimate setting.
Life / Death explores the juxtaposition of mortality and the vibrancy of life. Knowles provided artwork representing life while Romano provides us with his vision of death.
First let me start by saying the inside of this historic building Dalton purchased has been beautifully restored. In the back corner there is a small café, and Dalton is planning to expand it as a wine bar soon.
Dalton calls her Gallery a woman-founded art space and she hosts various classes, workshops, community events and creatively curated exhibits.
Dalton is an artist and poet and serves on the Board of Women Eco Artists Dialog, VP Chair for Sculpture Fields at Montague Park and is a member of Thrive Regional Partnership.
In the first few minutes of meeting her, I got the sense that art, poetry and the ability of self-expression are her way of healing others. The Gallery, her small farmhouse nearby and her family and dog are what keep her grounded. She was quick to offer me coffee and light refreshments and said that working with Romano and Knowles, who are also art curators, was seamless and fluid.
Being familiar with Knowles’ artwork, I wasn’t surprised to find all the vibrant colors popping out of the canvas along with the birds and flowers and flowing bodies of water, highlighting life in motion. Mirage captivated me with a beautiful owl standing before a red background like a majestic bird rising from the fire.
I’m not familiar with Romano, but his artwork took my breath away. Done primarily in black and white featuring a variety of skulls.
“He uses ink, is a former tattoo artist, and was raised in the carnival business,” Dalton said. Suddenly the black, white, and grey canvases made sense. Of course, a former tattoo artist would use ink to depict the macabre world of the dead. His piece You Only Die Once an ink and acrylic piece is a skeleton being swallowed by a tree void of greenery and life.
I love his Witch and Executioner, two separate silhouettes of the Grim Reaper and a Witch, both melting into the canvas. Romano has a circular piece splattered with black which reminded me of Jackson Pollock. Later I looked at the catalog to find the piece is called Jackson Pollock Was Not A Revolutionary…And Now Look At Him, He’s Dead.
I thought that was pure genius.
Each artist was asked to paint a piece opposite to what their main exhibit was. Knowles painted a piece called From Dust We Return depicting an eclipse, and uncharacteristically, for him, void of much color.
Romano created a tree springing up from the dark ground with a skull amid all the branches called Don’t Try To Understand Life, Just Live It, which I thought was a powerful statement. This is the only piece by Romano featuring hints of red, green, and yellow surrounding the skull.
The entire exhibit makes you ponder about life, humanity, mortality, immortality and death. There are a few ceramic pieces by Romano where he intentionally exposes you to cracks and breaks. Life is flawed, and he lets you experience that.
I highly encourage you to view this collaborative exhibition. The109 Gallery is open by appointment only Monday-Saturday.
On July 25, 2026, the 109 Gallery invites the public to the last viewing of Life / Death. The evening will conclude with a special sound bowl meditation and art activation, guided by Romano. Doors open for the last viewing at 6 p.m. At 7:30 p.m. Romano will start the sound guided meditation. Closing remarks will take place at 9 p.m.
Dalton said the Gallery will then prepare for the next exhibit opening on Aug. 1, 2026, featuring the life's work of Mike Holsomback and his solo exhibition, One Monkey Don't Stop The Show.
Dalton described Holsomback as, “One of our region's most accomplished painters, a dedicated educator, mentor, and veteran whose influence reaches far beyond the walls of his studio. Through decades of teaching and an unwavering commitment to his practice, he has profoundly shaped the lives of generations of artists throughout our region.”
The 109 Gallery
- 109 Gordon Street, Historic Downtown Chickamauga, GA
- Open by Appointment Only Monday-Saturday
- 9 a.m. until 7 p.m.
- The109gallery@gmail.com
- www.the109gallery.com