Whichever the latitude, most cities have a trait in common: constant influx of people, talent, capital. Housing crises, crime, buzzing highways, luxury condos, and secret alleys form a mosaic of sceneries, which are mutually exclusive and complimentary to the urban experience.
Such various urban-scapes cramped with different cultures, create a unique patchwork of trends; a vital airway to self expression. In addition, they help establish a timestamp, which will never be replicated in the course of time. Despite their somewhat daunting looks and harsh realities, cities are the birthplace of cultural movements which have shifted behavioral standards and stirred political discourse.
One would argue that cities offer the perfect -and often dystopian- canvas to paint dreams, put lyrics and rhymes together and compile visual and musical symphonies that alter the mundane perspective to provide a window for opportunity. After all, from the Mod generation, to the Beatniks and, most recently, Grime, the cities are intrinsically woven with the artist’s mind and the drive to transform concrete landscapes into platforms where creativity thrives.
All the works featured below come from the Fresh 18 entries and provide a different perspective on how the artists view and experience the life in the city, either by observing its daily musings or by creating their ideal urbanscape.
City through the seasons
Finding the interesting and unexpected in the never-ending seasons cycle.
Triangles
Chris T. Ramos
"I tried to capture what I think is the essence of a Street Photograph."
Chris T. Ramos
Finding Me, Losing You
Melissa Bilancio
"It’s about finding the good in the separation of space between human connection."
Melissa Bilancio
Capturing Japan
Tye
"My attempt at capturing the atmosphere throughout Japan on my travels."
Tye
The alley grid
Often associated with the illegal, secretive and filthy, there’s beauty in the overlooked alleys that shape the urban grid.
Swimming Pools
Maria Ario
"A lake of water in an alley - just as beautiful as the art."
Maria Ario
Keilaniemi
Antti Tassberg
"A personal project where I studied the architecture of the new subway stations in my city."
Antti Tassberg
Urban Guernica
Larger formats works, which accumulate a collection of memorabilia, combined to re-create landscapes or form new ones.
Minor U.S. Cities
Andrew Soria
"These selects works explore some of the small forgotten areas throughout the US. They are the places that seem to slip through the cracks, and provide unique characteristics of the city."
Andrew Soria
The City
Mooiste
"The City is a compilation of characteristic places for the history of my hometown. It was a city of great industry. This is a kind of self-portrait - my fascination for factories and constructions."
Mooiste
Fresh Insight
The Insight programme explores ideas and concepts from across the Fresh 18 entry pool. Compiled by Villy Devlioti with help from our Curators.
11.2018