Potholes are what harsh weather, plows, and bleak times leave behind. They’re not pretty in the way that most things that have eroded and cracked are not pretty. (Man, wouldn't it be great if Joan Rivers were here to make a self-deprecating joke right now? RIP, boo.) Jim Bachor, who is a guerilla artist and a genius, came up with a solution for Chicago’s relentless pothole problem: cover the ugliness with art. And just like that, Bachor’s project essentially became a metaphor for art’s many purposes.
While the Chicago weather was predominantly chill in the fall, Bachor created four mosaics that covered four weathering potholes:bright orange tulips, yellow possibly-daffodils (you guys can totally correct me here, since I in no way am a floral connoisseur), pale purple violets, and a single red rose. They’re all stunning, and the juxtaposition between cement, dirt and bright, pretty things is the stuff that artsy dreams are made of.
This is actually a continuation of Bachor’s guerilla pothole project. He originally started it by creating mosaics that simply spelled out “pothole” over potholes. While this was very meta and I love it, I think the flowers are an even cooler way to express his artistic creativity and environmental art band-aids (if you will). Now excuse me as I go salivate on his other art projects.
Images: Jim Bachor
