Series: Cities

In 2007, I was in Mali as a member of the expedition which explored the architecture of the native peoples, specifically the tribes in the Dogon area. In the rocky crevices in the middle of the cliff passing from north to south, here are preserved clay buildings of the pygmies since the 15th century. The newly coming Dogon tribe later started to develop this architecture. It is usually about two to three-story buildings made from thin, about 20 centimetre thick clay, but very solid and hard walls. They are usually built on a circular plan. By adding and sticking other structures, an organically rich shape originates in ground plan. Sometimes these are rectangular buildings and the layout of the ground plan is again in an orthogonal order in a way that a yard enclosed by buildings and walls usually originates.

I drew a lot in Mali, and some of the drawings record the linear outlines of the buildings as an unbroken line that runs from left to right. In shape, it resembles irregular rectangular battlements. I made more such lines in these drawings, mutually overlapping so that they have the character of the contemporary city. I remembered them when I, a year and a half later, drew similar red ink drawings in San Francisco. All paintings of the “Cities” series are articulated by just this type of drawing.

2010-2013