Undeniably Urban: Cartography Meets Street Art at the Somerset House
This month, London’s Somerset House explores new territories with its highly anticipated show, Mapping the City. Forgoing the traditional representations of exhibitions past and opting instead for a more modern focus, this exhibition features the work of over 50 street and graffiti artists – some emerging and some already on the map, like Cept, Shepard Fairey, Swoon and Aryz – and offers a diverse and contemporary look at the antiquated art of cartography.
Executed in collaboration with dynamic arts organisation A(by)P, the locations conveyed in Mapping the City span myriad cities, countries, and continents. Though varied in nature, the selected cities have not been arbitrarily chosen; the artists were asked to render their own interpretations of the cities they call home. Additionally, due to the unique style of each artist, each map differs in artistic approach and aesthetic preference. Spanning myriad media – predominantly painted works on paper and digital pieces – and ranging from realistic depictions to the abstract, the maps presented in Mapping the City offer a unique – and highly artistic – trip around the world.
Mapping the City embarks at the Somerset House on 22 Jan 2015 and is on view until 15 Feb 2015. Bon voyage!
