Two artists who have a track record of transforming public spaces with bold, colorful murals designed Lollapalooza’s 2018 festival poster. Unlike previous posters that feature surreal characters, the design by Jessie Unterhalter and Katey Truhn shows abstract shapes, patterns, and colors.
If you look closely, the art represents a bird’s eye view of Grant Park where the music festival takes place. You can make out Lake Michigan on the right, the curve of Lake Shore Drive and a circular figure for Buckingham Fountain. The typography used is a nod to the lettering used in the 1933 Chicago World’s Fair poster.
The print is “inspired by the fluidity of music and its fans,” according to a description on Lollapalooza’s website. “This piece of art creates a juxtaposition of nature and the energy of the festival.”
Unterhalter and Truhn, based in Baltimore, began working together in 2012 with a focus on brightening public areas with murals, sculptures, and other playful art forms. The artists believe that environment influences emotions, and so, through abstract art, they try to “bring life into unsung spaces,” according to their bio. Much of their work is influenced by movement, patterns in nature, and surroundings—so it makes perfect sense that this year’s Lolla poster puts a spotlight on historic Grant Park.
There are two slightly different versions of the poster. The signed and numbered edition goes for $175 and the commemorative poster costs $30. After the print run is sold out, there won’t be anymore made.
- Lollapalooza 2018: Street closures, getting there, what you need to know [Curbed Chicago]
- A Lollapalooza guide to Grant Park’s most famous buildings [Curbed Chicago]