21c Museum Hotel Chicago Free Admission Monday

Free Admission Monday from 24 hours a day at 21C Museum Hotel Chicago - see INFO below. The consumer brands we eat, drink, and wear; the performers, politicians, and athletes we love and loathe: popular culture today venerates the secular more than the sacred, yet the form and function of religious iconography persists. The saints and angels depicted in ancient icons are today replaced by images of the celebrity gods and consumer goods we seek for affirmation, protection, and empowerment. Recalling the studio photography of Seydou Keta and Malick Sidib, Hassan Hajjajs saturated, brightly-colored portraits of musicians, cultural icons, and others are framed by popular brands of food and drink and other commodities typically found in the markets of Marrakesh. Surrounding the figure like altarpiece offerings, the consumer objects are part of the subjects identity. Brian Paumier held and faced a gun when he made the manda (vow) that inspired his multi-part Act of Faith, an altarpiece-like installation dedicated to the Virgin of Guadalupe. Act of Faith starts with a promise that was made in the heat of battle in Iraq, explains the artist, who was serving with U.S. forces. I asked the Virgin of Guadalupe for her help and made a pledge: If you get me out of this, I will make you a manda. More Info below.