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Sixty Inches from Center Thu Sep 15 2011
Street Art Approval
This article was originally published on Sixty Inches from Center on Sept. 5. This is the first of a series of content exchanges with them.
By Zachary Johnson
Last week, while exploring Chicago's Polish Village, I interrupted my friend mid-sentence as a familiar sight came into view. "Another one!" I exclaimed. Quickly, we crossed Milwaukee and headed towards a wall featuring the street art of Mental 312. Mental's thick, blue lines were similar to his other pieces: bold and expansive, almost Aztec in their geometric style. I didn't know how old the piece was, but judging from what I've observed of Mental's other works, it may have been around for a while. What strikes me about the pieces is that people don't seem to mind them. The ones that first went up last winter along the Garfield and Indiana Green Line Stations are still there, and those at the Sheridan and Bryn Mawr Red Line stops have stayed up for months as well. In fact, the Bryn Mawr piece looks even older, as if it's been around for years.
The piece in Polish village was yet another work that people didn't seem to mind. The brick wall it's featured on had been painted with the familiar brown color business owners use to cover up tags. Yet Mental's piece remained untouched. The fact that many of his walls are not covered up with paint or tags speak to the fact that people in Chicago enjoy his work - at least, enough not to defile them.
Street artists don't receive much formal acclaim. They are not the focus of solo exhibitions, museum collections, or interviews. Most people don't even know their names. Instead, perhaps their highest validation comes when their works are not painted over. By leaving street art untouched, people send out the message that the pieces are appreciated and valued. After all, street art is one of the most public types of art today. Rather than art that sits indoors where we have to come and find it, street art appears outside, coming to find us during our daily routines. It has the power to brighten our days and, at times, inspire us. Looking at Mental's street art month after month, I'm glad there are others out there who appreciate his work enough to let us enjoy it for a bit longer.
For other sightings of Mental 312′s work in Chicago, click here.
Kelly Reaves / September 15, 2011 12:38 PM
I believe there is a big one of the side of a building on the north side of 3100 W. Chicago Ave. that I've been admiring for months.