Quick Facts
Biography
Jim Bachor (born c. 1964) is a graphic and mosaic artist, professionally trained in the ancient art of setting marble and glass pieces into mortar. More recently, Bachor has become known for the mosaic art that he has placed within highway potholes in Chicago, Philadelphia, Detroit, and Jyväskylä, Finland.
Early life and education
Raised in Detroit, Bachor graduated from the Center for Creative Studies in that city. Bachor studied art and ancient history and in Ravenna, Italy he learned how to create mosaics using ancient techniques.
Career
He worked as an associate creative director at Chicago ad agency Foote, Cone & Belding.
After a visit to Pompeii, Italy he found mosaics that survived an ancient volcano and in 2013 he decided to begin filling potholes in Chicago with mosaics, such as a popsicle, flowers, and the message that it's "not a pothole anymore."
In the summer of 2014, Bachor completed "thrive," a 700-square foot commission for the Chicago Transit Authority that was installed in the city's Thorndale Red Line "L" station. In the fall, Bachor was commissioned to create an in-store 4 by 6 feet (1.2 by 1.8 m) floor mosaic at Nike's store on North Michigan Avenue in Chicago.
In 2016, he installed several mosaics in Philadelphia, in collaboration with HAHA Magazine x Paradigm Gallery. One was entitled "Make Your Mark". The same year, he installed a mosaic in front of the Spirit of Detroit statue on Woodward Avenue in Detroit, Michigan.
He made his first political statement with a pothole mosaic in which the word "Liar" placed over an image of the Russian flag that was installed on Wabash Avenue near Trump Tower in downtown Chicago in May 2017. It was first made when Trump was sworn into office and was installed during the period when it became known that Trump held a White House meeting with Russian diplomats where he disclosed highly classified information.