Chicago artist fills pesky potholes with pandemic art amid COVID-19

The COVID-19 pandemic has been a bumpy road for many Chicagoans, but they have mosaic artist Jim Bachor to thank for paving the way to some unexpected smiles with four additions to his "pothole art" series installed on the city's North Side.

Along a side street near the iconic Green Mill jazz club in the Uptown neighbourhood, Bachor has created four glass and marble mosaics inside small craters in the pavement.

The colourful creations, which glisten in the sunlight, refer to symbols of the city's experience with the pandemic.

There are mosaics depicting an Old Style beer can, one of Chicago's classic brands; a toilet paper roll and a bottle of hand sanitiSer; and a red Chicago flag star, in homage to a city that has recorded 1,830 coronavirus-related deaths.

"It's a little bit of an unexpected joy ... an unexpected grin," Bachor said. "It's finding a little bit of humor in times that are not funny and elbow to the ribs of us humans and the ridiculous things that go on."

Chicagoans are all too familiar with potholes, and Bachor has been placing tile mosaics in them since 2013 after a particularly stubborn crater in front of his Northwest Side home inspired him.

"Everyone can relate to potholes. It doesn't matter if you are rich, poor, young or old ... everyone hates them," said Bachor.