Accumulations of Building Facades

Though the architecture of individual buildings is worth taking note of, there is nothing that defines the cityscape more than the accumulation of building facades. Whether it is a potential canvas for street art or of intentional architectural design, the façade inspires the artist. The likes of The Grand Canal at the Church of La Salute (1727) by Giovanni Antonio Canal (Canaletto) highlighted the importance of the “veduta” or “view”. The Italian “veduta” and any attempt to capture it, not only noted the monumental perspective of the buildings along the shores of Venice but also foreshadowed how the city would only grow. As the cityscape has historically been painted, so has it changed, shifted and growing on top of itself. Medieval cities are often metaphorically referred to as lasagnas, with layer upon layer of architecture sitting on top of each other or bunched together on the surface to create the street views we meander through everyday. In Artsper’s selection of works, Marion Zimmermann draws attention to this feature of the urban landscape, whilst Logan Hicks pioneered his stencil work in the 90s using layering to accumulate the building facades of the cities he explored in his street art – revealing their many faces.