CARTOONS

Cartoons is a series of monumental drawings based on the preparatory tradition of Renaissance cartoons — full-scale works once used to develop frescoes, tapestries, and large decorative compositions.

The project takes contemporary East London as its subject. Its people and everyday presence are placed within a format historically associated with monument, narrative, and grandeur.

The works are also informed by the visual language of William Morris, whose ideas remain closely tied to Walthamstow. Charcoal, with its industrial and slightly mechanical character, is set against delicate floral ornament — continuing Morris’s belief that nature offers a necessary balance to industrial life.

These drawings place a fragile medium into a monumental format, bringing together contemporary life and an inherited artistic tradition.

WHY SEE IT IN PERSON

• These drawings depend on scale. Their size cannot be experienced on a screen.
• Paper changes with light and distance — the works shift as you move through the space.
• The exhibition is temporary — open for one week only.
• These drawings were made in East London and are best seen in the space where they were created.