Mapping the city

I participated in the show Mapping the city that took place in the prestigious Somerset House (London), curated by Approved by Pablo. My piece deals with my perception of cities as a superposition of cultures and constructions. It also refers to the social fact that the ones from below are carrying the weight of the chosen fews at the top of the pyramid.

Here is the official text from the Somerset House webpage:

Somerset House, in association with collaborative arts organisation A(by)P, present Mapping the City, an innovative exhibition of works by established and emerging artists from the street and graffiti art scenes. To complement the exhibition, Somerset House and A(by)P are hosting a diverse series of events, including a series of film and music evenings, artists talks, performances and interactive workshops, all inspiring visitors to re-evaluate their own relationship to the cities in which they live.

Graffiti and street artists have an intimate relationship with the cities that they use as a canvas. They understand and engage with the urban landscape in unique ways – through subjective surveying rather than objective ordinance. Mapping the City will present a series of cartographic representations of the artists’ chosen cities. Ranging from literal to highly abstract, each map will be an individual response to the way these artists experience and interpret the places that they know so well. 

The artists selected by A(by)P to take part in the exhibition use a wide variety of media in their practice, from digital technology to illustration, paintings to sculpture, and video presentations to performances. Over 40 of the works were specially commissioned by A(by)P, with artists using their individual aesthetic to share their knowledge of each city’s secrets and challenge visitors to look at their own urban environments in a new light.