American artist Barbara Kruger’s thought-provoking work spans more than 40 years of observing, examining and challenging our culture through a collage of different mediums. The exhibition, “Thinking of You. I Mean Me. I Mean You.,” at the Art Institute of Chicago converts Kruger’s decades of bold statements to nearly an entire square mile of vinyl graphics winding through the museum alongside other formats and even spilling into city streets.

“Kruger’s work not only fills the entirety of the museum’s largest exhibition space, the 18,000 square-foot Regenstein Hall, but also occupies Griffin Court—an 8,000-square-foot atrium running the length of the Modern Wing—with new site-specific work,” the Institute says. “Kruger’s text and images address both the architecture and relational spaces throughout the museum—from the windows in the historic Michigan Avenue building and the Modern Wing to various public spaces, some of which will also feature an ambient soundscape. Kruger will additionally engage the surrounding cityscape, creating work for billboards, the Chicago Transit Authority, and Art on theMART, among other locations and organizations.”

Focusing specifically on the vinyl elements of the exhibition, Duggal Visual Solutions helped produce and install over 25,000 square feet of vinyl, accounting for many architecturally intricate spaces and surfaces along the way. Preparation for the exhibition spanned three years, with vinyl installation ultimately completed in three weeks while the museum remained open. Floor graphics in the main entry alone cover a massive area and require daily maintenance to remain pristine.

Robyn Farrell, associate curator of modern and contemporary art, told the Chicago Sun-Times the sheer scale of the exhibition “will stop people in their tracks.”

“Thinking of You. I Mean Me. I Mean You.” runs through January 24, 2022. Read more in the Chicago Sun-Times. To buy tickets or explore the exhibition online, visit the Art Institute of Chicago website.