Spread across the 2.5-acre façade of Chicago’s iconic theMART building, formerly known as the Merchandise Mart, a new projection by conceptual artist Barbara Kruger is featured. The display is part of the fall program for Art on theMART, the largest permanent digital art projection in the world.

Since its launch in 2018, Art on theMART has converted theMART into a canvas for public contemporary art projections by renowned local, national, and international multi-disciplinary artists. The program is the result of a 30-year commitment between theMART owner Vornado Realty Trust and The City of Chicago. The Art on theMART’s content rotates seasonally and is selected with the assistance and expertise of the Curatorial Advisory Board.

TheMART’s Art Deco exterior has hosted over 20 different projections since its debut. Projections are visible to the public for free from Chicago’s Wacker Drive and along with Riverwalk. 

This season’s display coincides with the Art Institute of Chicago’s exhibit Thinking of You. I Mean Me. I Mean You., an in-depth look at four decades of Kruger’s practice. The projection is called “Untitled (Questions), 1995/2021” and is currently on view, running twice nightly at 7:30 and 8:00 p.m. through November 25. Kruger is the first artist in the series to have an entire season dedicated to her work. 

“One of the most significant and visible artists of our time, Barbara Kruger is recognized as a curious consumer and an incisive critic of popular culture,” as per the Art on theMART release. “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 exhibition beyond the museum walls and into the urban architectural environment, where the art is free and accessible to all.”