Barbara Kruger Projections Debut on Art on theMART
In partnership with Chicago’s Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events, Art on theMART today announced a major new addition to its fall program: a projection by renowned conceptual artist Barbara Kruger. The projection will be shown twice nightly at 7:30 and 8:00 p.m. starting Sept. 17 and continuing through Nov. 25. The new work’s debut coincides with the Art Institute of Chicago’s presentation of Thinking of You. I Mean Me. I Mean You., an in-depth look at four decades of Kruger’s practice, the largest and most comprehensive presentation of Kruger’s work in twenty years.
One of the most significant and visible artists of our time, Barbara Kruger is renowned as a curious consumer and an incisive critic of popular culture. Practicing since the late 1970s, Kruger uses direct address as a rhetorical strategy to expose and undermine the power dynamics of identity, desire, and consumerism. Her instantly recognizable works utilize bold text and provocative messages; they feature rigorous interrogations of social relations and invite us to reconsider how we relate to one another.
“We are honored to feature the work of such a legendary contemporary artist on our platform,” said Cynthia Noble, Executive Director of Art on theMART. “With this installation, our site extends Kruger’s major retrospective beyond the museum walls and into the urban architectural environment, where the art is free and accessible to all. We are so pleased to collaborate with Kruger and the Art Institute on this significant alignment.”
“We are thrilled to partner with AOTM for this historic collaboration with Barbara Kruger,” said Robyn Farrell, Associate Curator, Modern and Contemporary, Art Institute of Chicago. “For more than four decades, the artist has been a consistent, critical observer of the ways in which images and words circulate through culture and more recently, the accelerated modes in which they inhabit our daily lives. At a time when dispersion has replaced distribution and memes rule the realm of visual information, her momentous installation will invite us to pay attention and carefully consider how we relate to one another.”
Art on theMART is the largest permanent digital art projection in the world, projecting contemporary artwork across the 2.5-acre river-façade of theMART. This expansive permanent public art platform continues Chicago’s legacy of providing both residents and visitors with exceptional art that is both free and accessible to all. Projections are visible to the public from Wacker Drive and along the Chicago Riverwalk.
The program content rotates seasonally and is selected with the assistance and expertise of the Curatorial Advisory Board. The City of Chicago and theMART work in partnership to manage and curate the projected artwork over the course of a 30-year agreement. Privately funded by Vornado Realty Trust, owner of theMART, Art on theMART marks the first time a projection of its size and scope is completely dedicated to digital art with no branding, sponsorship credits or messaging. The permanent projection system illuminates theMART with 34 state-of-the-art projectors totaling almost one million lumens. For more information, visit www.artonthemart.com.
