On the heels of Gallery Guichard’s successful exhibition at One Two Pru, we’re thrilled to announce our newest public art program and lobby exhibition in partnership with IPaintMyMind: a nonprofit art agency focused on bringing art programs to underserved communities. Spearheaded by IPaintMyMind Founder and Executive Director Evan La Ruffa, the year-long revolving exhibition will offer tenants and visitors a multi-level cultural experience that’s designed to raise awareness and resources to support the nonprofit’s mission.
Now open to the public in The Lobby of One Two Pru, the launch installation — entitled Cities: An Urban Landscape — features 28 digital, painted and printed pieces created by Evan La Ruffa himself, as well as local artists Russell Muits and Ruben Aguirre. For an inside look before your visit, read up on the highly anticipated installation below.
Exhibit 1: ‘Post All Bills’
Shot entirely on an iPhone, Evan La Ruffa’s exhibit entitled ‘Post All Bills’ originated in New York City and has since evolved with most pieces created in Chicago or in Los Angeles. Each city is littered with various ‘Post No Bills’ walls and, of course, the walls almost always ultimately end up stapled and tapped with bills for things like concerts, products and ads. Thus arose La Ruffa’s profound and repurposed series.
Exhibit 2: ‘Manholes’
Russell Muits, a paint and cityscape relief printer in Chicago, has shared with us a profound series of works called ‘Manholes’. Each piece captures a manhole cover from cities across the world, from Illinois to Amsterdam. Using block ink and raw canvas, Muits unearths, reimagines and pays homage to artisans of the past by preserving these relics through the prints.
Exhibit 3: Ruben Aquirre
Lastly, Ruben Aguirre’s exhibit aims to draw attention to underutilized infrastructure through mediums of abstraction, graffiti, formalism and mural painting. Inspired by typography, terrain and the human body, Aguirre’s compositions organically build a visual language that reference the socio-historical background of each site location.
“We’re thrilled to partner with One Two Pru and give Chicogoans an opportunity to see and experience Cities: An Urban Landscape, all while bringing awareness to a meaningful organization,” Evan La Ruffa shared. “Being in one of the city’s foremost buildings, just steps from one of the most destined cultural destinations, only further punctuates our excitement to participate in this initiative.”
Cities: An Urban Landscape will be on display exclusively in The Lobby at One Two Pru, open daily from 6pm am to 8pm. Each work of art will feature a corresponding QR code that you can scan for additional information and/or to purchase. Plan your visit today.
