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Hank Willis Thomas and Coby Kennedy, REACH, 2023. Photo: Nicole Harrison. Courtesy of For Freedoms The Art Newspaper

The Chicago Department of Aviation (CDA) and Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE) have announced the installation of “REACH,” a new large-scale sculpture by New York-based artists Hank Willis Thomas and Coby Kennedy, in the Multi-Modal Facility (MMF) at O’Hare International Airport. “REACH” consists of two arms, approximately 27 and 31 feet long, suspended between nine and 34 feet off the ground in the North Escalator Hall of the MMF. Viewers approaching the three-story hall through the tunnel from the public lobby will see a massive beckoning hand overhead.

“REACH” consists of two arms, approximately 27 and 31 feet long, suspended between nine and 34 feet off the ground in the North Escalator Hall of the MMF. Viewers approaching the three-story hall through the tunnel from the public lobby will see a massive beckoning hand overhead. The experience of the installation will dynamically change for viewers coming from the upper levels of the parking structure, with the sculpture appearing at eye level from the top floors and towering overhead as they descend the escalators to pass through and underneath the iridescent arms.

“As longtime collaborators we have had an incredible opportunity to create an artwork together and reframe a piece of public space, where most are in transit and passing through, for interconnectivity and togetherness. ‘REACH’ is a connection point and large-scale gesture that inspires us to come together,” said artists Coby Kennedy and Hank Willis Thomas.

“REACH” is just the latest in a series of art installations that have gone up in recent years at the MMF, which houses economy parking, rental car facilities, and access to the revamped Airport Transit System (ATS), a fast, efficient train that connects travelers to O’Hare’s four terminals. The facility is LEED Silver certified and, in 2022, received Illinois’ first Parksmart Silver certification.

About Coby Kennedy and Hank Willis Thomas:
Coby Kennedy (b. 1977; lives and works in New York) uses the communication tools of the advertising and entertainment industry to create paintings, videos and sculptures that hint at unspoken truths, the modern culture of veiled intent, and the questions of subjective realities. A graduate of Columbia University’s Fine Art MFA and Pratt Institute’s Industrial Design BA programs, the artist and industrial conceptual designer has completed residencies at the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture (2011), Red Bull Arts Detroit (2016), and Anderson Ranch Arts Center (2018). Kennedy is the recipient of the Civil Society Institute Fellowship and One World Award, and has exhibited work domestically and internationally, in Japan, South Africa and Italy.

Hank Willis Thomas (b. 1976, Plainfield, NJ; lives and works in Brooklyn, NY) is a conceptual artist working primarily with themes related to perspective, identity, commodity, media, and popular culture. His work has been exhibited throughout the United States and abroad including the International Center of Photography, New York; Guggenheim Museum Bilbao, Spain; Musée du quai Branly, Paris; Hong Kong Arts Centre, Hong Kong, and the Witte de With Center for Contemporary Art, Netherlands.