CHICAGO—ART on THE MART, the world’s largest digital art project, is proud to premiere Currents of Chicago (June 5 – July 6), a new moving artwork by acclaimed architecture and design firm Perkins&Will. Debuting just ahead of the 56th edition of NeoCon 2025, the leading platform for commercial design (June 9-11), Currents honors the visible and invisible forces shaping the city—from water and wind to data, infrastructure, and design. Presented in partnership with Chicago’s Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE), the commissioned projection transforms THE MART’s iconic 2.5-acre facade into a larger-than-life cinematic tribute to the lakeside city’s enduring spirit. This marks the third consecutive year of alignment between ART on THE MART and NeoCon.
Set to the pulse of Chicago house music by West Side producer Aniko Thomas, also known as Niko The Great, Currents takes viewers on a visual and auditory journey through the city’s rich design heritage. Drawing inspiration from the natural, human, and technological streams circulating throughout—from the Chicago River and Lake Michigan to the layered transit systems and diverse communities—the piece animates the interconnected rhythms that define modern life. Celebrating resilience, reinvention, and Chicago’s intrinsic beauty through vivid illustrations and bold visual storytelling, the work weaves together iterations of engineered landscapes, cultural expression, and the constant push of design and technology.
