Dimitre, Sears Lit BW 4883 - Giclee Print

Eating lunch everyday around Clark and Whacker along the river I notice large works of art bolted to the wall that divides lower Whacker from the river walk.  There is no explanation of the work except the work descriptions and artist bios.  Not until I searched on the internet did I find a description for this very diverse, interesting, and hidden exhibition.

All the pieces are portraits representing a face of Chicago.  The work runs the standard contemporary gamut of two-dimensional art with photography, painting, drawing, printing, mixed-media, digital art, and a very unique piece created by a typewriter.  Most of the work stands on its own and works well in the grouping, though without the exhibition description, it is difficult to understand that all the images represent Chicago.  There is one obvious exception.  Dimitre’s giclee print of a lamppost illuminating the Sears Tower (no known as Willis Tower).  This black and white photograph captures the top of the iconic building in front of a plain background, excluding the tops of the surrounding skyscrapers.  The only other objects are streetlamps that almost dwarf the solitary monument, once the tallest building in the world and still the tallest in the United States.  It appears lonely and small. It stands in the light of one of the street lights and as I backed away, the distance gave way to a silhouette of a person in the light.  Anthropomorphizing the tower, it seems even lonelier, like an enigmatic ghost. This is a Chicago I can relate too.  The city is at once gigantic and small, iconic and lonely, and with illumination only seems more vague.

There are other images that stand out. Nathan Veach’s image made with what I think is a broken typewriter and Rebecca Byrne’s painting The Pit Broker.  Veach’s portrait is of Chicago icon Casimir Pulaski, though I don’t know how many Chicagoans recognize his countenance.  Admittedly I did not.  This work appears teadeous to make, but was executed with great care and planning.  Though fantastic as a stand alone piece, as a series of similarly created images, it would be even more impressive.  It stands out because it is so different.  It almost doesn’t belong despite fitting the theme.  The Pit Broker immediately called to mind brokers often seen around the Chicago Board of Trade because of the red jacket and “CAB” badge.  It also somehow captures the stoic intensity traders are stereotypically supposed to have.  Formally it’s thick paint and minimal dynamic color.  It is eye-catching and possibly over simplistic.

It is good to know Chicago is exhibiting local artists in some of its public space, however hidden.  Hopefully it will continue.

This exhibition can be found on the south bank of the Chicago River along lower Whacker between State Street and LaSalle.  More information can be found at the City of Chicago’s Riverwalk website or by click here.