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Greater Charleston West Virginia Public Art Tour

Zone 3 of 7: Downtown

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This is a contributing entry for Greater Charleston West Virginia Public Art Tour and only appears as part of that tour.Learn More.
In 2011, Ian Bode created The Passenger from steel. Bode uses this figure of the passenger extensively in his art and it has become a quintessential component of his work. "The keyhole-shaped figure you see in almost all of my work is called the Passenger. The faceless cartoon is a vacuum into which our identity and awareness can be filled in. They are very much a part of their world, but with the viewer in the emotive driver’s seat, much like a passenger."1 Bode often tends towards chaotic and vibrant mural scenes filled with small details, so this single three-dimensional sculpture is a rare isolation of the passenger emblem. Bode's attempts to establish a cohesive visual language have clearly been successful: he was named WV Artist of the Year by West Virginia Living Magazine.

The Passenger.

A purple silhouette of a cartoonish figure stands with arms raised.

Best of WV - People, WV Living. December 14th 2017. Accessed December 10th 2020. https://wvliving.com/best-of-wv-people/.

1. Bode, Ian. About Ian Bode, Ian Bode Art. Accessed December 10th 2020. https://www.ianbodeart.com/about.

Hamilton, Judy E. Artist Ian Bode Rediscovers, Narrates His Hometown, Charleston Gazette-Mail. October 27th 2017. Accessed December 10th 2020. https://www.wvgazettemail.com/arts__entertainment/artist-ian-bode-rediscovers-narrates-his-hometown/article_0e0662c7-d80a-54d4-9362-429030f28f72.html.

Ian Bode “The Passenger Side of Modern Life” Opening at Art Emporium, Charleston Art Walk. March 10th 2014. Accessed December 10th 2020. http://charlestonartwalk.com/?p=1561.

Image Sources(Click to expand)

Office of Public Art, Charleston WV. Accessed December 10, 2020. https://gisweb.cityofcharleston.org/storymaps/arttour/#.