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Wesley Willis
(Chicago, 1963 – 2003) began his artistic career singing on the street,
accompanied by his Technics KN 2000 keyboard. He was soon playing
opening slots for local bands, and later recording songs as an homage
to these performances (i.e. "Urge Overkill", "Swervedriver", "Foo
Fighters", "The Frogs"). In 1989, Willis was diagnosed as
schizophrenic; he explains that writing, performing, and recording
helped quiet the voices in his head. Most of his exposure came as an
internet phenomenon during the early days of peer-to-peer file sharing.
Kunst Halle Sankt
Gallen is the first institution to present an extensive show of Willis’
artwork, focusing on its fascination for Chicago's architecture and the
throbbing activity of the Midwest metropolis: the characteristic
skyline, the lakeside, the freeways as well as the uniform fast food
chains. His interest for urban sceneries came from it being his natural
habitat, which was then translated into thousands of magnificently
detailed ballpoint/felt-tip renderings of the city and riding around on
the bus.
North Lake Shore Drive
has been edited by Urs Lehni and Linus Bill of Our Magazine.
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