Takeaway
Tom Friedman
Stainless steel
2024, CTA Art Collection
Takeaway depicts Hermes, the Messenger of Greek Mythology, in a running pose balancing a stack of restaurant carry-out boxes on his head—a nod to modern living. Artist Friedman describes Hermes—the lightning-fast god of communication, humor, and travel— as young, innocent and graceful but also charming and mischievous. The carry-out boxes on Hermes’ head represent the Herma, the ancient form of stacked stones, left as messages for travelers at the juncture of two roads. The Herma is a shrine to Hermes, to protect travelers, on the move as he always was. This aligns with all the passengers traveling through the station.
Tom Friedman is an internationally acclaimed artist known for conceptual art and public sculpture, and his precise and unexpected use of a variety of materials. He is a most distinguished alumnus of the UIC School of Art & Architecture having earned a Master of Fine Arts degree (MFA) in Sculpture, 1990. Tom Friedman is a member of the Graduate Faculty at University of Massachusetts Amherst. His artwork has been exhibited and is in collections of museums worldwide.
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