Category Archives: Artists

The Labyrinth in the Tube

Photograph: David Levene for the Guardian


In celebration of the 150th anniversary of the London Underground, artist Mark Wallinger was commissioned to create artwork for all 270 stations of the Tube. He developed a series of enamel painted labyrinths, bringing together many classic circular labyrinths into a common visual language of solid black and white, with a red "X" as a start and end point. This video contains an interview with Wallinger as well as a glimpse of the production process. A labyrinth differes from a maze in that there are no dead ends and there is just one way in and one way out. I have been exploring the form, drawing both labyrinths and mazes in sketchbooks over the past couple years. It is a relaxing meditative practice, and encourages seeing of the entire page as an overall space, with the path traveling across every inch of the page. It's encouraging seeing this often disregarded art form taking center stage in a public space.

US Combat Artists

Marines on Rifle Range by Kristopher Battles

There's a long tradition of artists being deployed into combat zones to document the day-to-day lives of soldiers and civilian populations. Drawing can give a different perspective on war that still photography and video don't. Kristopher Battles is serving in the US Marine Corps as a "Combat Artist". His blog Sketchpad Warrior documents his work in Iraq and Afghanistan from 2006. PBS created a documentary of combat artists during during WWII titled "They Drew Fire". The accompanying website contains resources of major artists and works from the period.