The Map as Art

Last night I went to the opening reception for The Map as Art, an amazing group show at The Christopher Henry Gallery in Soho/LES. The show was really fantastic. All the art engaged cartography, in a variety of beautiful and interesting ways. Maps themselves are so lovely and intricate, and the artists really found unique ways of entering their form. Some standout pieces were Meridith McNeal's life-size dress made out of New York City subway maps, and a fascinating large-scale photo collage triptych of a map of the world made through images of used computer waste. I don't know the name of the artist who made that piece. Also a lovely cut-out book with maps.

There were so many wonderful works, but the opening was so crowded that it was impossible to really give everything a proper look. I would like to go back and revisit.

The Map as Art , a group show curated by Katharine Harmon and Christopher Henry . The exhibition presents a diverse group of work in a variety of media, all of which use mapping concepts to explore uncharted territories both formal and intellectual. The show is presented concurrent with the launch of Harmon's book, The Map as Art: Contemporary Artists Explore Cartography (Princeton Architectural Press). The exhibition features works by: Doug Beube, Matthew Cusick, Joshua Dorman, Jerry Gretzinger, Ingo Gunther, Jane Hammond, Emma Johnson, Karey Kessler, Joyce Kozloff, Hayato Matsushita, Meridith McNeal, Florent Morellet, Vik Muniz, Aga Ousseinov, Matthew Picton, Karin Schaefer, Dannielle Tegeder, Heidi Whitman, and Jeff Woodbury .