THE COLLECTION: Where Art Meets Fashion, the multifaceted contemporary art program located within Fashion Outlets of Chicago, announces the unveiling of the program’s latest site-specific installation by celebrated Puerto Rican-American artist Candida Alvarez. The two-story abstract mural will be completed and on view to the public on Level Two of the shopping center starting January 2023.
“Much like clothes in the closet that we love and pull out to wear from time to time, ‘zip me up’ is a return to, and remix of, an earlier painting of a dahlia flower that lived on a Chicago rooftop,” said Alvarez. “This commission by Fashion Outlets of Chicago was a wonderful opportunity to dive back into my own archive and remix this painting to give it a bold, evocative new life.”
Known for her complex, vibrantly layered works, Alvarez’s paintings and drawings combine abstract and figurative forms that are rich in pop, historical and modern art references, often incorporating world news and personal memories. Throughout her career, she has been commissioned by the City of Chicago for a 200 foot-long digital painting on the Chicago Riverwalk, collaborated with international designer Rei Kawakubo for Comme des Garçons 2017 Men’s Couture collection, celebrated a 40-year retrospective at the Chicago Cultural Center and more. Recently, her work has been seen in the inaugural La Trienial at El Museo del Barrio in New York Latinx Abstraction at BRIC Arts in Brooklyn, and Z33 House for Contemporary Art, Design & Architecture in Belgium. Her work has been acquired by institutions including The Art Institute of Chicago, Perez Art Museum Miami and the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago. Alvarez’s work can currently be found in the Art of the Caribbean Diaspora exhibition at the MCA and in No Existe un Mundo Poshuracán at the Whitney Museum of American Art.
“This colorful, visually exciting piece exemplifies the fun, playful side of fashion and we can’t wait to unveil it to shoppers and art enthusiasts throughout Chicagoland and beyond,” said Katie Walsh, senior marketing manager at Fashion Outlets of Chicago. “The work is a perfect example of Macerich’s dedication to bringing world-class, accessible contemporary art to the public while supporting and uplifting work by incredible artists like Candida Alvarez.”
Candida Alvarez is represented by Monique Meloche Gallery, Chicago.
For more information on THE COLLECTION and Fashion Outlets of Chicago please visit www.fashionoutletsofchicago.com/thecollection.
About Candida Alvarez
Candida Alvarez (b.1955, New York, NY) lives and works in Baroda, MI. She received her MFA from the Yale School of Art, New Haven, CT (1997) and has been teaching painting at The School of The Art Institute of Chicago for 20 years. In 2017, Alvarez was commissioned by the City of Chicago to create a 200 foot-long, digital painting installed outdoors on the Riverwalk as part of the inaugural Year of Public Art; collaborated with international designer Rei Kawakubo for Comme des Garçons 2017 Men’s Couture collection; had a 40-year retrospective at the Chicago Cultural Center curated by Terry R. Myers; and published her first monographic book Here: A Visual Reader. Recently her work was included in the inaugural La Trienial at El Museo del Barrio in New York (whose title Estamos Bien was inspired by an Alvarez painting), Latinx Abstraction at BRIC Arts in Brooklyn, and Z33 House for Contemporary Art, Design & Architecture in Belgium. The Art Institute of Chicago, Perez Art Museum Miami, and the MCA Chicago recently acquired her work. In 2022, her work will be included in the Art of the Caribbean Diaspora exhibition at the MCA and in No Existe un Mundo Poshuracán at the Whitney Museum of American Art. Recent awards and fellowships include the Helen Frankenthaler Award for painting in 2021 and the Joan Mitchell Foundation Painters & Sculptors Grant in 2019.
About Monique Meloche Gallery
Monique Meloche Gallery was founded in October 2000, with its debut exhibition ‘Homewrecker’ at Meloche’s home, and officially opened to the public in May 2001. Diverse and inclusive since its inception, the gallery promotes politically minded contemporary art, aiming to be a bellwether for artistic talents early or under-recognized in their careers. Working with an international group of emerging and established artists in all media, the gallery presents conceptually challenging installations in Chicago and at art fairs internationally, with an emphasis on curatorial and institutional outreach.
About THE COLLECTION: Where Art Meets Fashion
THE COLLECTION: Where Art Meets Fashion is a multifaceted contemporary art program located within Macerich’s Fashion Outlets of Chicago. Components of THE COLLECTION include 19 permanent commissions and a rotating exhibition series located throughout the common area of the shopping center. The public art program has invested in works by Daniel Arsham, Derrick Adams, Carlos Rolón Dzine, Jen Stark, Matthew Hoffman, and many more. THE COLLECTION’s rotating exhibitions feature work by a variety of artists displayed in glass cases located throughout Level Two of the shopping center. For more information, visit https://www.fashionoutletsofchicago.com/TheCollection.
About Fashion Outlets of Chicago
Fashion Outlets of Chicago is an award-winning 530,000 square-foot, two-level indoor shopping center that is home to more than 130 designer outlets, an impressive contemporary art collection known as THE COLLECTION and high-end amenities. The one-of-a-kind upscale outlet property that redefines and elevates the outlet shopping experience, is located at 5220 Fashion Outlets Way in Rosemont – minutes from O’Hare International Airport and Chicagoland’s major highways. For more information, visit www.fashionoutletsofchicago.com.