By day, Paula Scher is a partner at the top New York design firm Pentagram, where she not only created the logo for Citibank, but also works on numerous projects for clients that include the Metropolitan Opera, Microsoft and Bloomberg. On the side, she has turned her aptitude for design into an artistic endeavour of a different sort. Scher uses her spare time to create paintings of maps. Not simply abstract works, but pieces full of information.
Scher first became interested in cartography at a young age, when her father first showed her full colour US Geological Survey aerial photography maps of areas like the Rocky Mountains. ‘I thought these maps were art,’ says Scher. ‘Later I began to play with the language of them.’
Her latest series is on display at Bryce Wolkowitz Gallery in New York until 26 March, in an exhibition titled ‘USA’. The large scale cartographic paintings – some measuring seven feet tall – double as complex infographics that explore a plethora of United-States-related topics.
In one corner of the gallery, a mural traces the winding curves that make up the US highway system in red and blue. Another presents the country's geography and climate, showing networks mountain ranges, rivers, and weather streams in a chaotic, colorful jumble on the map. Scher also created paintings depicting median home prices, driving times and mileage, as well as counties and zip codes.
To select a topic for a painting, Scher gravitated towards her interests. ‘I am obsessed by zip codes,’ she explains. ‘No one has yet given me a real definition of what constitutes one.’
The upcoming elections also played a role in the series. ‘I think about location and population and wealth against the way Americans think and make their choices, and that is especially resonant for me in this election year, when I am obsessed with politics,’ she says.
Though they might appear related, Scher looks at her art practice as a separate entity from her design work. ‘My paintings are paintings,' she says. ‘I accomplish them as a painter, not a designer.’
A partner at Pentagram, Scher first became interested in cartography at a young age, when her father first showed her full colour US Geological Survey aerial photography maps of areas like the Rocky Mountains. Pictured: US Demographics and Economy, 2015
The cartographic paintings are large — some reaching seven feet tall. Pictured: USA Airline Routes, 2014
‘I think about location and population and wealth against the way Americans think and make their choices, and that is especially resonant for me in this election year when I am obsessed with politics,’ says Scher. Pictured: USA Median Home Prices, 2016
‘I am obsessed by zip codes,’ she adds. ‘No one has yet given me a real definition of what constitutes one.’ Pictured: USA Counties and Zip Codes, 2015
Scher also created paintings depicting median home prices, driving times and mileage. Pictured: Driving Times and Mileage USA, 2014
Pictured: USA Interstate, 2015 – a mural that traces the winding curves of the US highway system in red and blue
INFORMATION
'Paula Scher: USA' is on view until 26 March. For more details, visit the Bryce Wolkowitz Gallery's website
ADDRESS
Bryce Wolkowitz Gallery
505 West 24th Street
New York, NY 10001
-
Ten statement-making belts to add drama to any outfitSupersized, stacked-up, embellished: add a flourish with these ten statement-making belts, from Miu Miu’s jewellery-like chains to a piece of runway history from Sarah Burton’s Givenchy debut
-
Design Miami/Seoul: inside the fair’s spectacular Korean debutAs Design Miami launches its inaugural Seoul event, we discover its showcases spotlighting Korean designers who have shaped the country’s creative landscape, from traditional craft to pioneering design innovations
-
At this whimsical Oslo bar, every cocktail has its design counterpartHimkok’s new ‘Design by Sipping’ cocktail menu arrives with one-of-a-kind furniture and objects – each inspired by a drink – that will be sold at auction
-
Curtains up, Kid Harpoon rethinks the sound of Broadway production ‘Art’He’s crafted hits with Harry Styles and Miley Cyrus; now songwriter and producer Kid Harpoon (aka Tom Hull) tells us about composing the music for the new, all-star Broadway revival of Yasmina Reza’s play ‘Art’
-
Out of office: the Wallpaper* editors’ picks of the weekHere in the UK, summer seems to be fading fast. Moody skies and showers called for early-autumn rituals for the Wallpaper* team: retreating into the depths of the Tate Modern, slipping into shadowy cocktail bars, and curling up with a good book
-
Richard Prince recontextualises archival advertisements in TexasThe artist unites his ‘Posters’ – based on ads for everything from cat pictures to nudes – at Hetzler, Marfa
-
Out of office: the Wallpaper* editors’ picks of the weekAnother week, another flurry of events, opening and excursions showcasing the best of culture and entertainment at home and abroad. Catch our editors at Scandi festivals, iconic jazz clubs, and running the length of Manhattan…
-
The best Ruth Asawa exhibition is actually on the streets of San FranciscoThe artist, now the subject of a major retrospective at SFMOMA, designed many public sculptures scattered across the Bay Area – you just have to know where to look
-
Orlando Museum of Art wants to showcase more Latin American and Hispanic artists. Do you fit the bill?The Florida gallery calls for for Hispanic and Latin American artists to submit their work for an ongoing exhibition
-
The spread of Butter: the Black-owned art fair where artists see all the profitsThe Indianapolis-based art fair is known for bringing Black art to the forefront. As it ventures out of state to make its Los Angeles debut, we speak with founders Mali and Alan Bacon to find out more
-
Steve Martin wants you to visit The Frick CollectionThe actor has appeared in a video promoting New York’s newly renovated art museum
