Headless in Grant Park

By Rachelle Bowden in Arts & Entertainment on Jan 10, 2005 5:41PM

This week the Park District is expected to approve the installation of 100 cast-iron human figures in Grant Park.

The headless figures, which are about 9 foot tall each, are the work of Magdalena Abakanowicz, modern Poland's most famous graphic artist. In 2006, they'll be assembled in a "forest-like display" in the southern portion of Grant Park near Michigan Ave & Roosevelt Road. And the coolest part is that you'll be able to walk around and interact with the statues. The entire installation will be known as "Agora," which means "meeting ground" in Greek. We're imagining how creepy it would be to come across a hundred giant headless guys at .. say.. nighttime.. but this installation seems cool, nevertheless.

Abakanowicz has created similar large-scale works for Dallas, Kansas City, and Pittsburgh, as well as cities in Italy, Isreal, South Korea, Japan, France, and Germany. To see more photos of her work check out her site.

The installation is a gift from the Polish Ministry of Culture, a private Polish foundation and Abakanowicz herself.

Image via www.abakanowicz.art.pl