Navy Pier will showcase the works of world-renowned contemporary artist Nick Cave and international architect and MacArthur Fellow Jeanne Gang Sept. 13-16. The two creative powerhouses joined forces for the first time to present Here Hear Chicago, a new site-specific project series that incorporates art, design and performance.
The epic collaboration will be featured at the Pier on Sept. 13 and 16 as part of the free public programming for the Chicago Architecture Biennial and EXPO CHICAGO, the International Exposition of Modern & Contemporary Art. The joint project is an extension of Navy Pier’s ongoing commitment to offer guests free, one- of-a-kind arts and cultural programming, designed to inspire, educate and connect communities across the city and globe.
About Here Hear Chicago
As part of Here Hear Chicago, the locally-based duo, Cave and Gang, will present a series of live productions in which Cave’s performers will interact with and respond to a set of dynamic, custom-fabricated “Stage Buoys,” designed by Gang and her practice, Studio Gang. The program kicks off with Cave’s newest performance work, Up Right Chicago, on Wednesday, Sept. 13 at 9 p.m. in the Aon Grand Ballroom, coinciding with the preview opening night of EXPO CHICAGO (Sept.r 13 – 17,) in Festival Hall.
On Saturday, Sept. 16, Cave will present his internationally-acclaimed HEARD Chicago at 1 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. in Polk Bros Park, as well as a Soundsuit invasion at 2 p.m. at the Wave Wall on the South Dock. Guests are encouraged to make their way to the Lake Stage on the Polk Bros Park Performance Lawns to catch a special 5 p.m. viewing of Here Hear Chicago on Screen, a collection of short films and documentary clips highlighting Cave’s iconic works. In the event of rain or inclement weather, HEARD Chicago will move to Sunday, Sept. 17 in the Aon Grand Ballroom.
All Here Hear Chicago events and performances are free and open to the public, with limited seating available in the Aon Grand Ballroom. Those interested in attending the Ballroom performance(s) should check the Navy Pier website for registration information.
Here Hear Chicago Background
Nick Cave is a Messenger, Artist and Educator working between the visual and performing arts through a wide range of mediums inclusive of sculpture, installation, video, sound and performance. He combines elements of sound, performance, color, and costume to create whimsical works that even the darkest soul would find hard to resist. His genre-expanding work explores the ways that African identity is subsumed into disparate cultural codes. Chair of the fashion graduate program at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Cave has built a notable reputation as an educator and artist.
Studio Gang, led by American architect Jeanne Gang, is an architecture and urban design practice based in Chicago and New York. Renowned for a design process that foregrounds connections among individuals, communities, and the environment, Jeanne and Studio Gang are currently designing major projects throughout the Americas and Europe, including the expansion of the American Museum of Natural History in New York City; a new United States Embassy in Brasilia, Brazil; and a unified campus for the California College of the Arts in San Francisco.
The second edition of the Chicago Architecture Biennial is the largest architecture and design exhibition in North America, showcasing the transformative global impact of creativity and innovation in these fields. This year’s Biennial addresses the theme “Make New History.” Artistic Directors Sharon Johnston and Mark Lee have selected over 140 practitioners whose eye-opening creations will invite the public to explore how the latest architecture can and will make new history in places around the world. The main exhibition at the Chicago Cultural Center, hosted by the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events, is free and open to the public from Sept. 16, 2017 through Jan. 7, 2018. The 2017 exhibition is amplified through six community anchor sites and two special project sites throughout Chicago – plus installations, performances, talks, films and more hosted by over 100 local and global cultural partners. For more information, visit www.chicagoarchitecturebiennial.org.
EXPO CHICAGO/2017, The International Exposition of Contemporary and Modern Art, at Navy Pier’s Festival Hall plays host more than 135 leading International exhibitors presented alongside one of the highest quality platforms for global contemporary art and culture. Now in its sixth year as a leading international art fair, EXPO CHICAGO offers diverse programming including /Dialogues, IN/SITU, IN/SITU Outside, EXPO VIDEO, the Curatorial Forum, the Art Critics Forum, Special Exhibitions, EXPO Projects and OVERRIDE | A Billboard Project. General Admission to the exposition is Thursday, Sept. 14 – Sunday, Sept. 17 (for hours please visit expochicago.com).