XAVIER

This project was for Xavier, a new apartment complex on the former site of Cabrini Green in Chicago. Special thanks to Ann Hudner, the art consultant who curated the project with art by local Chicago artists. The "Sunflower Slow Drag" wall mural features variations of a digital reproduction of a collaboration painting between artists Kevin Swallow and Scott Simons. The large abstract wall coverings are installed on all 18 floors of the Xavier building directly outside each elevator bank.

The original “Sunflower Slow Drag” artwork is a collaborative mixed media painting by Kevin Swallow and Scott Simons. This piece combines Simons’ abstract textures and lines with Swallow’s cityscapes and abstract graffiti style. Both artists are influenced by architecture and draw their inspiration from the urban landscape. The painting references a jazz song, Sunflower Slow Drag by Scott Joplin. Like jazz, the painting was improvised. They passed the painting back-and-forth over the course of a week – reacting to each other’s lines, marks, and colors. The panel was flipped and turned in various directions as they worked, until the painting unfolded into a finished composition."

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