The Park at Lakeshore East Participates in Rare Chicago Sculpture Exhibit by Bernar Venet

The Park at Lakeshore East is one of four landmarks participating in the first Chicago exhibit by internationally renowned sculptor Bernar Venet since 1988, and only the fourth in the city?s history.

The last time Venet?s work was seen locally was when he participated in the Chicago International Art Exhibition at the Galerie Daniele Templon The sculptures will remain at The Park at Lakeshore East throughout the fall months and will then move to other sites for exhibition, that include Sears Tower, The John Hancock Center and Equitable Plaza at 401 N. Michigan Ave.

The Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs in conjunction with the Carrie Secrist Gallery presents the exhibition known as ?The Chicago Loop Tour.? An exhibition of other new work by the artist will run through Nov.12 at the Carrie Secrist Gallery, 835 W. Washington.

The French artist?s work has been exhibited in every major city on several continents since 1964, when at the age of 23 Venet made his debut witha solo exhibition at the Galerie Ursula Girardon in Paris, France.The traveling exhibition of 10 large sculptures now showing in Chicago has been received in many cities around the world since 1993, including Paris, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Brussels, Koln, Basel, Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo, Luxembourg; New York City; Denver and now Chicago.

Venet?s first appearance in Chicago was in 1979 at the Marianne Deson Gallery. He returned to the same locale in 1984 in a show shared with Dan Graham and then again in 1988 for the international exhibition.

Indeterminate Lines, along with Arcs, are the works that best characterize Venet?s creations, and have earned him international recognition. The theme of the line has come to dominate the work of the artist since 1976 and manifests itself in many forms (straight lines, curved lines as arcs, broken lines as angles and indeterminate lines). Made of single, unwelded pieces of steel with no added elements, the Indeterminate Lines comprise a departure from the tradition of constructed, assembled, compositional sculpture. The lines, curving in on themselves like script, strongly imply movement and agility, unexpected in what one imagines as an intractable, heavy material.

Arcs as curving lines or segments of circles are an integral part of the Venet?s exhibitions in Chicago. These sculptures are defined portions of the circle with the number of degrees of each arc engraved on a side of each work. Venet?s newer sculptures are the most recent developments in his sculptural ?uvre and demonstrate the multiplicity of possibilities along the theme of the line.

Altogether, the works will show the richness of the evolution of Venet?s ideas.

The bold steel sculptures on display at Lakeshore East include ?Arcs in Disorder, 2002? and ?5 Arcs, 2002.? Arcs in Disorder consists of four arcs of rolled steel weighing approximately 3,750 pounds each and 5 Arcs features 5 arcs also of rolled steel and weighing approximately 3,750 pounds each.

A village in the heart of downtown Chicago steps from Michigan Avenue, Lakeshore East spans 28 acres, believed to be the largest parcel of downtown land under development in a major U.S. city. This $4 billion mixed-use development in the rapidly-growing New East Side incorporates all the elements of a traditional city neighborhood, a lifestyle center that includes homes, retail, recreational opportunities and community amenities such as the lush six-acre public park and a planned elementary school.

Lakeshore East is bounded by Wacker Drive, Lake Shore Drive, Columbus Drive and Randolph Street, rising on the threshold of two of Chicago?s greatest attractions, its magnificent lakefront and the Chicago River.

Some 40 percent of the site will remain vibrant open space. Among the centerpiece park?s many attractions is free Wi-Fi or wireless broadband Internet access, a children?s play park, a gated dog park, a large open meadow, water fountains, ornamental gardens and extensive seating. In addition, a series of smaller parks with special designs and water features will be added to the community.