A new installation is set to open to the public next week on July 17, and it comes from Philadelphia-based artist Nicolo Gentile.
‘Bar None’ will remain on site at Maja Park (located at 22nd Street and the Benjamin Franklin Parkway) until Oct. 26 and comes as a highlight of The 2025 Oval and Parkway to Park Festival. These initiatives, run by the Parkway Council and Philadelphia Parks and Recreation, use the summer festival as a way to celebrate “the Parkway’s future as a great urban park for all.”
The artwork was the selected proposal for Art on the Parkway, a juried open call commission organized by the Association for Public Art (aPA), in partnership with the Parkway Council and Philadelphia Parks & Recreation (PPR), a release notes.
The installation’s mission is also meant to honor the Parkway as an ongoing place of assembly for both visitors and Philadelphians alike. The horizontal design was proposed by Gentile and utilizes steel barricades spanning 80 feet in length and ranging up to 8 feet in height. The site is meant to be walked through as a way to “move through Philadelphia’s history.” Gentile utilized prefabricated steel barricades interspersed with colored etched acrylic panels for the design.
How will that come together as an ode to the city?
According to the artist, these etched surfaces will reflect moments of protest, pride, and public gathering on the Parkway through images sourced from historic archives. The panel colors will intentionally echo the energy and tone of each etched event as well.
One example is dark red, which was inspired by the uprisings born from violence and injustice (such as the 2020 George Floyd Protests). Gold is representative of cultural pride activities and liberation movements, and another color, violet/purple, is used for panels etched with imagery from Pride parades and trans rights marches.
“Given aPA’s involvement in the founding of the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, it is very fitting that we are presenting Nicolo Gentile’s work ‘Bar None’ there, where it pays tribute to the right of the people to peaceably assemble, as set down in the First Amendment of the U.S. Bill of Rights,” says Charlotte Cohen, Executive Director of the Association for Public Art.
“Nicolo’s work shows us examples of civic action in Philadelphia from different points in history and demonstrates the power citizens have to publicly voice their concerns, express their joy, and petition their government. The aPA is thrilled to highlight this history.”
The installation is also part of ‘Art on the Parkway.’ This initiative allows local designers who live or work in the area the opportunity to showcase their work to Philadelphians and beyond. Proposals are meant to explore ways art can help create and define a sense of place, while also honoring the area.
Gentile’s work has been exhibited at venues around the country and globe, including The Athenaeum, Commonweal Gallery, Temple Contemporary, and Automat (Philadelphia); Fragment Gallery and Trestle Gallery (New York); The Vault (Denver); plus exhibitions in Paris and Melbourne. He is also a past recipient of the Velocity Fund (supported by The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts), and is currently an Artist in Residence at the Fitler Club in Philadelphia.
The public is invited out to an opening for ‘Bar None’ on Wednesday, July 17 at Park Towne Place’s Oar Pub (2200 Benjamin Franklin Parkway). To find out more information on the project’s mission to turn the Parkway into a great urban park for all, visit parkwaycouncil.org
