5 Map Portraits That Will Take Your Breath Away

If you haven’t noticed already, we like a good map here.

When I stumbled upon Ed Fairburn’s artwork the first time, I was instantly blown away. He has created his own niche, exploring ways to integrate and superimpose portraits onto topographic, industrial, and celestial maps. The result is a complex image that is stunning on both a macro and micro level: from afar you admire the curve of a woman’s jaw, look a little closer and complicated street grids and mountain ranges come to life.

The familiarly organic curves of faces and bodies balance the industrial patterns, and make the topographic similarities feel inevitable. As an undereducated art appreciator, I can best compare Fairburn’s pieces to how I learned to see Monet as a child at the Art Institute of Chicago.

“Stand far away, and now look up close at the detail, isn’t it different?”

He explains, “The work I produce is largely figurative, and through the exploration of the human form I examine the patterns and structures which exist across the body. Emphasis is placed on the ‘fragmented’ texture of the skin, a process which has encouraged my work to evolve from its occupation of plain paper to the potential occupation of other, pre-fragmented or pre-patterned surfaces.”

What do you think of his work? Let us know in the comments below.

1. ‘Bristol Envelope,’ 2013.

A small portrait, produced in ink on an original street map of Bristol (UK) – this was later cut and folded to form an envelope.

2. ‘Die Milche-Strasse’ (The Milky Way).

Pencil on a celestial star chart.

3. ‘Windermere’

Pencil on a map of the English Lakes.

4. ‘Deutschland’

Ink on a 1973 road map of Germany.

5. Ink on a street map of Cambridge.

“The unusual backdrop of a street map provides a complex mesh from which I can map the human figure and synchronise the many similarities that exist coincidentally. Using a map as a surface is a refreshing change to working on white paper; no two square inches are ever the same.”

Limited edition prints are available, make one of his portraits yours.

Learn more about Ed Fairburn, his latest projects, and his upcoming exhibits on his website and Facebook.

All images and captions courtesy of Facebook/EdFairburnArtist

Lena Kazer

Lena is a Chicago native, her travel style consists of red cowboy boots that make her feel like she can take over the world. She adores Peru and can't travel without her journal to draw or write in.