Agora by Magdalena Abakanowicz - Chicago, IL
Posted by: 
Hikenutty
N 41° 52.081 W 087° 37.403
16T E 448266 N 4635310
The sculpture Agora can be found in Grant Park near the beginning of the esplanade leading to the Adler Planetarium and its intersection with Michigan Avenue.
Waymark Code: WM1XZN
Location: Illinois, United States
Date Posted: 07/30/2007
Views: 251
The statue Agora incorporates the figures of 106 headless abstracted 9 foot tall human figures. The hollow figures wander about along a stretch of land on the south end of Grant Park. Each is hand molded and made to resemble the texture of tree trunks.
The 2.5 million dollar piece was a gift from the artist and the Polish Ministry of Culture. The Parks have raised $800,000 needed for the installation and maintenance of the piece, thanks to some help from Robin Williams, an Abakanowicz fan.
The Polish sculptor explained the sculptures as this: "They must be like one body that represents so many different meanings," she said. "It's the self against the whole world."
Many say that Abakanowicz' history gives context to her art. The artist was born into an aristocratic family in Poland and when she was 9, she saw Nazi soldiers shoot her mother's arm off. She lived and sculpted in Warsaw under Soviet occupation, using a hemplike material to make pieces that could be tucked away in her tiny studio.
Name or use 'Unknown' if not known: Agora
Figure Type: Human
Artist Name or use 'Unknown' if not known: Magdalena Abakanowicz
Date created or placed or use 'Unknown' if not known: 2006
Materials used: cast iron
Location: Grant Park
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