Layla Curtis

Exhibitions

2 September - 8 October 2000

Layla Curtis might be likened to a cartographer, but her maps are painstakingly produced and more a commentary on mapping than useful depictions of locations. For the exhibition at MK G she will be making use of sea, road and various world topographical maps, collaged into intriguing hybrid pieces. Some of them are specifically influenced by the grid format of Milton Keynes, one of them turning MK into a rectangular island surrounded by the sea. Another new work is a framed text piece, Index (Everywhere I’ve ever been), presented like a hoax index to an atlas, incorporating only the places Curtis has been to in her lifetime. Curtis recently said of her work: ‘Travelling has always been an integral part of my life. Like most people I rely on and trust maps to find my way, locate myself and plan journeys. By dissecting, dismembering and collaging maps to create new, hybrid maps, I aim to explore the effects of disturbing this trusted system of mapping.’ (Interview with Mike Dawson, Flux magazine, April 2000). With the world political map in constant flux, Curtis’s work invites us to consider such issues as disputed borders, international relations, unions, conflicts, internationalisation and globalisation.

Press Release Layla Curtis: A brief guide for visitors