A passerby jumps to match the pose struck by one of several giant, inflatable, pink figures dubbed "Mr. Pink" as it's suspended above Winter Street in downtown Boston. Photo by Annielly Carmago | Courtesy of DBA
The latest eye-catching – if potentially slightly unsettling – and humorous downtown Boston art installation is here.
The Downtown Boston Alliance’s annual Winteractive public art exhibition is back, featuring works by several Canadian artists designed to liven up the neighborhood and draw visitors during the dreary winter months.
This time, instead of pedestrians being surprised by disembodied, inflated clown heads hiding in Washington Street alley, they’re being confronted with an invasion of giant, pink, inflatable men: six different renditions of a character dubbed “Mr. Pink.”
They’re all playful to one degree or another, like the character waving from on top of the Old Corner Bookstore at School and Washington streets or another flying like an acrobat down Winter Street between the Boston Common and Downtown Crossing.
The figure climbing a tree in Post Office Square and another that’s climbed the awning over Winthrop Center’s Federal Street entrance to peek into the second-floor bar at The Vermilion Club are particularly child-like.
Just make sure you clock the latter before you’ve sampled one too many of the bar’s promotional “Mrs. Pink” cocktails, lest you get a surprise.
“Based on the reaction from visitors, and from those who shared photos and discussed Winteractive online, the exhibition proved to be the ideal winter outing for anyone looking to explore our beautiful city. We’re thrilled to bring back an expanded version in year two with new partners and locations,” Downtown Boston Alliance President Michael Nichols said in a statement.
A “Mr. Pink” character peeks into The Vermilion Club at Winthrop Center. Photo by Annielly Carmago | Courtesy of DBA
And just like young children, the pink creations don’t seem to have much of a sense of shame, quite oblivious to their lack of pants despite the cold.
A “Mr. Pink” sculpture installed as though it’s climbed a tree in Post Office Square. Photo by Annielly Carmago | Courtesy of DBA
The inflatables, created by artist Philippe Katerine and public art agency Exmuro are paired with a number of other works by fellow Quebec City artist Brandon Vickerd and Montreal-based public art agencies Wireframe and Creos, plus a pair by American artist Mike Geiger and a mural by Boston University art professor Breehan James.
“In Québec, we have a saying: ‘L’hiver, c’est fait pour jouer dehors’ [winter is made for outdoor play]! As a Montreal-based organization, Wireframe embraces this philosophy by creating awe-inspiring moments of connection and serenity, even in the snow,” Albano DeJesus, director of divelopment and partnerships at Wireframe, said in a statement. “Our two featured installations, Living Lantern by NEON Studio and Frankie Boyle, and Celestial Garden by Lucion, promise to bring joy, wonder and a touch of magic to your community.”
The Living Lantern by Neon Studio, Frankie Boyle and Montréal-based Wireframe public art agency illuminates the performance space next to the Millennium Tower with a kinetic sculpture powered by wind movements that trigger animated light sequences. Photo by Annielly Carmago | Courtesy of DBA
Unlike last year, when a lifelike sculpture perched on the roof of the Old Corner Bookstore caused some to worry a person was either about to jump off the building or cause some other threat to public safety, nothing has run afoul of Boston authorities just yet. But one piece of art has a playful nod to that possibility.
“Alouette,” by artist Brandon Vickerd with the Exmuro public art agency, depicts a mid-2010s Nissan Altima whose hood has been crushed by a falling satellite. But since it’s obviously unable to clear out of Downtown Crossing in time for the daily pedestrian-only zone, it got the perfect finishing touch: a city of Boston parking ticket.
Photo by Annielly Carmago | Courtesy of DBA
