'Shot Up Car' art exhibit aims to spark conversation in Chicago

It's art imitating life, or life in some of Chicago’s most dangerous neighborhoods, anyway.

A car riddled with thousands of bullet holes will be towed to some of the city's busiest attractions this weekend. The artist hopes to spark a conversation about violence.

It is a piece of art meant to provoke, titled "Shot Up Car." The display -- including police tape, shell casings and fake blood -- was set up Thursday in the parking lot of a Humboldt Park church. Its creator, Canadian artist Viktor Mitic, says he's bringing it to Chicago for a reason.

"I thought this was an appropriate piece for what's going on right here,” he said.

Mitic bought the car in his hometown of Toronto, and took it to a gun range where for three days it was shot with a variety of weapons.

Starting Friday, organizers plan to take the shot up car and tow it to several high-profile locations around Chicago, including City Hall, Millennium Park and Wrigley Field.

"We gotta tug the heart. We got to bring a visual to our community and to our leaders, saying this is our reality. This is what our children are faced with every single day,” said Robert Torres of “Parents for Peace and Justice.”

For Annette Flores, the shot up car triggers a flood of emotion. Her 19-year-old son, Neftali, was shot to death last year just blocks from Thursday’s display.

"My son was chased and killed in a small grey car. So when I look at this, the multitude of bullet holes signifies so much more because so many other kids have passed. It's a horrible epidemic,” Flores said.

And keep in mind as you look at 6,000 bullet holes, that since 2016 more than 10,000 people have been shot in Chicago.

"That's 10,554 families that are in pain in our city of Chicago. The true reality. So this is not too much,” Torres said.