ED FAIRBURN'S MAP PORTRAITS TRACE THE HUMAN EXPERIENCE

It’s tempting to make a silly pun, to say that he’s put portraiture “on the map.” But in truth, it’s Ed Fairburn’s inventive and unexpectedly moving portraits on road maps that have gained him recent notice in the art world. So much so, two of his most most popular works were just released for purchase as limited edition prints at Not on the High Street, with more listings to be added soon.

Fairburn uses the patterns of road maps to “examine the patterns and structures which exist across the body.” Red lines emanate from a closed eye in “Deutschland,” imbuing a serene portrait with a sense of pain. In “Western Front,” a series of portraits drawn on reproduction military maps from WWI, flowing lines and sharp angles lend an air of defiance or distant calm to their respective subjects.

By using maps as a medium, Fairburn has deepened his already formidable artistic skill into something beautifully evocative. We can view maps as a guide to how we move about our lives, or a souvenir of a trip once taken or a moment already passed—obsolete nearly as soon as they’re printed. Highways and avenues crossing human faces call to mind the impact we strive to make on our worlds, and the impact that living and growing older makes on us.

View Fairburn’s latest work at edfairburn.com, or follow him on Facebook for frequent updates—including the occasional giveaway.