Carlos Rolón

Ni Aquí, Ni Allá (Neither Here, Nor There), 2024

Chicago-born Rolón is celebrated for his multidisciplinary artistic approach, exploring themes such as craft, ritual, beauty, identity, and their intersections with art history. With roots in Puerto Rican heritage, Rolón's background fuels his exploration of personal concepts, blending self-examination with rich cultural symbolism. This synthesis fosters community engagement and blurs the boundaries between public and private spheres, providing viewers a bridge to connect with the broader cultural narrative.

Through Ni Aquí, Ni Allá (Neither Here, Nor There), viewers are invited to experience a transformative oasis inspired by the vibrant spirit of Puerto Rico. By blending both the digital art and physical elements within the park, Rolón creates a sanctuary amidst the urban landscape—a space where people can pause, rejuvenate, and connect with nature. Inspired by the vibrant landscape, atmosphere, and sounds of Puerto Rico, this installation features tiled benches, the gentle melodies of the coqui (small frog), a cascading waterfall, and botanical elements that collectively capture the essence of the island. Through the harmonious interplay of virtual and tangible elements, visitors are transported into a dynamic environment, inviting them to embark on a sensory journey of immersion and exploration.

More information about Rolón at carlosrolon.com.

Yvette Mayorga

The Lovers Dance, 2024

Mayorga is a Chicago-based multidisciplinary artist known for her Rococo-inspired reliefs that merge confectionary labor with found images to explore themes of belonging. Dominated by the color pink, Mayorga celebrates femme power while questioning the allure of consumer culture and the American Dream as a first-generation Latinx.

The Lovers Dance is Mayorga’s first augmented reality public work. Drawing from the stories and shapes of her intricately piped paintings and public installations, Mayorga creates an immersive, interactive experience that reflects her signature feminine world-building. In The Lovers Dance, she explores themes of belonging and love by depicting two dancers emerging from the sky, set against a backdrop of piped frosted clouds reminiscent of a theatrical play.

More information about Mayorga can be found at yvettemayorga.com.

Claire Ashley with audioscape by Joshua Patterson

N O M A D I C F L U O R A T I C P H Y L O S I A N S P A W N, 2024

Scottish born, Chicago-based artist Ashley mines the language of painterly abstraction, monumental sculpture, and slapstick humor to investigate inflatables as painting, sculpture, installation and performance costume. Currently a teacher at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, her works have been exhibited nationally and internationally in galleries, museums, site-specific installations, and performances events.

In N O M A D I C F L U O R A T I C P H Y L O S I A N S P A W N, viewers encounter four apparitions, experienced here over one calendar year, responding to the shifting seasonal color palette of Millennium Park’s Lurie Gardens.

• Spring: A single apparition grows. The mother form stretches and elongates, birthing its spawn, grumbling as it spits them out.
• Summer: Multiple apparitions vibrate. The mother and spawn sway, float, shudder, vibrate, spin, roll, and feast, bubbling and boiling in a whirling dervish-like motion.
• Fall: The apparitions slow down. The mother and spawn merge, clicking back together into a new lumpier formation.
• Winter: A single apparition hibernates. It snores, snuggles, stretches, and yawns. Crystalline growths appear, beginning the regeneration process for spring.

More information about Ashley at clairehelenashley.com.

Faheem Majeed

Freedom’s Stand: Sentries Beacon, 2024

Faheem Majeed is a professor of art at the University of Illinois at Chicago, as well as an artist, curator, and community facilitator. He blends his unique experience as a non-profit administrator and artist to create works that focus on institutional critique and exhibitions that leverage collaboration to engage his immediate, and the broader community, in meaningful dialogue.

Freedom’s Stand: Sentries Beacon is an homage to the pioneering spirit of Black newspapers in the United States, drawing on the legacy of community-generated news and self-representation. Inspired by the historical impact of Freedom’s Journal, the first Black-owned newspaper founded in 1827, this augmented reality sculpture highlights the importance of Black voices in media. Combining elements from Chicago’s Wall of Respect, the Community Mural Movement, and traditional West African Dogon architecture, Freedom’s Stand creates a rich cultural tapestry.

Freedom’s Stand: Sentries Beacon features three dynamic augmented reality newspaper stand sculptures that grow into towering structures and shrink back into smaller stands, symbolizing the evolving nature of Black media. The design, reminiscent of traditional newsstands integrated with Dogon granary aesthetics, creates a living archive. These sculptures showcase a curated collection of headlines, articles, and advertisements from 209 Black newspapers, ensuring the work remains dynamic and ever-changing. This project underscores the importance of celebrating diverse voices in media, ensuring they inform and inspire future generations.

More information at faheemmajeed.com.