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Tony Tasset
Tony Tasset art prankster and creator of downtown art installations on view starting July 4 art prankster and creator of downtown art installations on view starting July 4Tasset has two unusual qualities for an art star: He still lives in the Chicago area and he has a sense of humor. Two of the UIC prof’s pieces liven up State Street this summer for the Chicago Loop Alliance’s (CLA) inaugural Art Loop program: Cardinal, an installation of more than 100 banners, and Eye, a giant eyeball slated for Pritzker Park, across the street from Harold Washington Library Center.
What inspired you to create a 30-foot-tall eyeball for Pritzker Park?
The CLA said, “We have this space we’re not doing anything with,” and I wanted to—in some ways—compete with the other big sculptures in the city, the “Bean,” the Flamingo or the Picasso. I have made other eyeballs. There’s a 12-foot one [at Laumeier Sculpture Park] in St. Louis. I was thinking of something that people would respond to, that was iconographic. A lot of my artwork takes things that are already somewhat familiar and recontextualizes them. People can project their own ideas onto [the eyeball], but I guess it’s a symbol of consciousness and being part of a community.
What about the banners you’re hanging along State Street, which have different images of a cardinal in flight?
I was thinking of nature against the backdrop of the city, and I [wanted] something really quiet and subtle. The cardinal’s the state bird, and the graphics will be red, white and blue, so all those things together seemed to make sense. Unless you’re driving quickly and there’s no traffic, it’s not exactly going to work like a movie. It’ll be an image that just changes as you drive down the street. The bird will be in the background and come forward into the frame.
How will pedestrians interact with the work?
Just slower. The other part is, it’s not advertising. It’s just nature. It’s supposed to be beautiful and simple. To put that against the backdrop of this very commercial, hustle-bustle city—I’m trying to create a little contrast, basically.
What is your favorite public art in Chicago?
I love the Calder Flamingo because it’s so modern and forward-thinking, yet also almost childlike. Not casual, but almost nonchalant.
What’s your idea of the perfect summer weekend?
Going to two movies in the middle of a gorgeous Sunday. [Sitting] in air conditioning and eating popcorn for lunch, then coming out when it’s still light outside.
