More than maps: Larissa Fassler’s cartographic drawings capture the complexities of a city

Abstract

Larissa Fassler elevates our expectations of what a map can reveal. Venturing beyond depictions of the physical landscape, Fassler visualizes complicated socioeconomic and cultural issues in her cartographic drawings. Fassler leverages the map’s reputation as a factual diagram in her work. She also embraces the subjectivity of the mapmaker, who shapes a map through a series of strategic aesthetic decisions. In this way, she creates art that presents complex ideas of space and place by manifesting both the observable and intangible characteristics of a city.