Last weekend I delved into my creative side at Chicago’s Artropolis. There were three shows: Art Chicago, a collection of modern and contemporary art from renowned galleries around the world; NEXT, a showcase of emerging artists, including performance pieces; and the International Antiques Fair, which housed over 100 of the world’s best antique dealers.
In NEXT, I saw life size jungle animals made out of Nike shoeboxes, a statue made out of tiny puzzle pieces, CDs that were melted down into what looked like semi-precious stones, and a video installation of a man’s face projected onto a plaster sculpture that took me at least 30 seconds to determine whether he was real or not. I stood in one dimly lit booth (that was about 105 degrees and smelled like stale beer and hipster B.O.) for a good 5 minutes, while a DJ spun eerie music, waiting for the show to begin and then realized that it WAS the show. So, I stepped out and almost collided with a heavily tattooed woman leading a man at least twice her size around on a leash. I didn’t want to be next on her naughty list, so I decided to try my luck at Art Chicago.
Art Chicago was twice the size of NEXT and had some amazing pieces, my favorites being a chandelier made out of reading glasses and a coffee table installation composed of two way mirrors and lights that when you glanced down it looked like you were peering into a never-ending tunnel. My group of friends tends to gravitate towards things that are sparkly, so the sequin and glitter mosaics, along with the giant sparkly hot dogs and gold-plated burgers, were a huge hit.
Overall, Artropolis was a wonderful testament to Chicago’s amazing art and cultural scene and had something for everyone – especially if you’re into dog collars.
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