WEST LOOP — Kanye West has a new home in Fulton Market, in the form of a new mural.
Created by 47-year-old Hyde Park artist Chris Devins, the 14-foot mural can be found at 1215 W. Fulton Market.
West’s look in the mural is inspired by “old Kanye”, Devins said. West is wearing a black suit with a silver watch and classic black sunglasses.
Devins said he got the idea after having dinner with a friend at Timeout Market in Fulton Market, where they talked about West and some of his upcoming projects.
Walking back from that dinner, he passed a “big, blank wall” with a couple other murals by chicago artists Sentrock, J.C. Rivera and Rich Alapack and thought this was the spot to put Kanye West.
“I wanted him to look really good up there and present him in a classic way,” Devins said.
West has been top of mind for Devins as he has become more interested in streetwear fashion and its influences, which Devins thinks West has greatly influenced in the past couple of years. That coupled with his impact on the music industry and Chicago, made Devins want to pursue doing a mural of West.
“It’s larger than life. It’s heroic. It’s, you know, respectful. The mural, it presents him in a classic way that could sort of stand [the test] of time,” Devins said.
The muralist admits he’s not a fan of everything West has done, pointing to the drama circling the rapper’s divorce from reality star Kim Kardashian, but overall believes that should not stop him from his artistic freedom.
“I absolutely will not let anybody censor art or tell me who I can depict in a mural period,” Devins said. “Art is the last bastion of freedom…and art is separate from politics and concerns like that.”
Devins, who is well-known for his mural work around the city, has come into controversy before. His mural of King Von, a slain Chicago rapper, sparked controversy with residents who accused the mural of “glorifying violence.”
Devins has murals all over the city, many concentrated on the city’s South Side. To view more of his Chicago projects, visit his website.
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