The Peninsula Chicago Announces with all, and still... Art Installation by Chicago Artist Bob Faust

The next 'Art in Resonance' installation

The Peninsula Chicago is hosting an exciting art installation featuring Chicago artist, Bob Faust. Titled with all, and still… this exhibit debuts mid-September 2021 and will be on display in The Lobby on the fifth floor of the hotel, through 2021. with all, and still… is the latest exhibition of The Peninsula Hotels’ ‘Art in Resonance’ program, a global initiative in support of contemporary architecture.

About the Installation

with all, and still… is a series of layered, billboard-scaled works created from photographic details captured by Faust from several of Chicago’s 77 neighborhoods. The vibrant, digital images are used as the main medium to create new artworks that look different when seen from different vantage points. From a distance, formal patterns and vibrant colors draw the viewer in, but upon close inspection the actual subject of the photos becomes clear. Larger than legible, hand embellished letterforms pulled from the exhibition title act as Flash paint connectors, linking each of the seven works to one another and adding context to the entirety of the installation. The result is a colorful and immersive experience that feels as if the vernacular panels of distant canvas billboards have been transformed and transported to The Peninsula Chicago’s lobby, providing an urban and industrial counterpoint to the elegance of the surrounding hotel spaces.

A QR code allows guests to view the photographs at the origin of each work, and in doing so, understand more about the Chicago neighborhoods that were the inspiration for the panels.

“with all, and still… is a contemporary statement about the place and moment,” said artist Bob Faust. “I am blessed that my work and life places me regularly in many of our city’s great neighborhoods, rich with color, texture and surprising juxtapositions. I have made it part of my practice to catalog inspiring images when I come across them, and this project allowed me the opportunity to reach back as well as collect more of them to develop this new series of work. I love the idea of contrasting exceptional vignettes of everyday details, from often overlooked sites around the city, with showing them on the Magnificent Mile against the elegant setting of The Peninsula Chicago. with all, and still… presents an opportunity for the viewer to experience the works at an aesthetic or conceptual level and then interpret their own meaning.”

“The hotel embraces opportunities to support the local community and celebrates Chicago as a destination whenever possible,” said Maria Zec, Regional Vice President and General Manager, The Peninsula Chicago. “Bob Faust’s approach to bringing Chicago neighborhoods to life through an unexpected vibrant series of contemporary art panels completely transforms this area in the hotel. We are delighted to feature Bob Faust for our next Art in Resonance initiative, and to offer the installation to the public through 2021,” Zec continued.

Art in Resonance program

The Peninsula Chicago’s desire to provide guests with memorable art experiences aligns with The Peninsula Hotels’ global commitment to promoting the rich and vibrant cultural aspects of the group’s destination cities. In a continuation of the group’s ethos of innovation, The Peninsula Hotels has created ‘Art in Resonance,’ a multi-year global contemporary art program that reflects a deeper commitment to engage with the artistic sphere, not only as a venue but as an originator and innovator of culture. 

The Peninsula Chicago contributes to the program by featuring a rotating exhibit of local and national artwork year-round. with all, and still… is the third installation of The Peninsula Chicago’s Art in Resonance program.

• The first installation (2018-2019), Impossibility of Place, by native Chicago photographer Lincoln Shatz, finds inspiration in the immersion of nature. His works provide an escape from the urban landscape and explore time and place within the immensity of our world.
• The second installation (2019-2021), One Can Dream, followed by Inner Courage Series created by Chicago-based abstract artist, Darren Jones, who captures nature’s beauty in paintings which evoke a sense of place, peace, and calm within one’s soul. Many of his pieces incorporate delicate papers, wood fibers and sand mixed with acrylic paints to create a greater depth.

In addition to these temporary exhibits, the hotel houses an expansive collection of art that contributes to the contemporary elegance of spaces, and supports various art initiatives partnering with local museums, galleries, and artists.

‘with all, and still…’ Exhibit Inspires Culinary Experience

Guests interested in enhancing their art installation experience through an interpretation by The Peninsula Chicago’s culinary team are suggested to try the featured dessert from The Lobby or In-Room Dining. The Executive Chef and pastry team have incorporated the symbols and shapes found in the artwork into the Chocolate Obsession dessert. The dessert is available daily.

Bob Faust, Bio and Artist’s Statement

With typography at its core, Bob Faust makes work to inform, empower and/or instigate in the service and celebration of human difference. Text, image, materiality, and the contextual choices made for each work are driven by concept which makes him a challenge to categorize in any singular way. "My intent is to incite a physical or emotional reaction to manifest new memories — so whatever it takes and however is best to make that happen is how I am working right now." says Faust. 

He is described as “part artist, part designer and part mediator” and is the principal and creative director for Faust, a Chicago-based art and design studio with a focus on cultural articulation. He is also the partner and design collaborator of artist Nick Cave. Together, the two recently opened a dynamic, multi-use creative space in Chicago called Facility. As an entity, it believes that art and design can create peace, build power, and change the world…that by fostering an environment and community built from your dreams you will wake up daily within your destiny.

NewCity magazine honored Faust as "Best Breakthrough Design Artist" in 2017 and followed up in 2020 naming he and partner Nick Cave "Designers of the Moment." He has also been recognized as a design leader nationally and internationally by publications and institutions such as Communication Arts, NBC5 Chicago, the Society of Typographic Arts and Under Consideration. Faust also serves on the Cultural Advisory Council for the City of Chicago, Chicago as well as the Committee on Design for the city's Department of Planning and Development. Other positions he currently holds are on the Chicago Dancemakers Forum Board of Directors and the School of the Art Institute’s Fashion Council.