A densely layered kaleidoscopic mass of colour explodes across the canvas surface. This painting was completed by Julie Mehretu in 2002. Behind the calligraphic swooshes and monochromatic geometric forms – that appear to swirl around as if caught in some mysterious vortex – lies an elaborate linear structure. Incorporating and combining pre-existing architectural plans and designs, Mehretu’s paintings suggest fantastical new maps that appear to represent both space and time. For the artist, the colorful abstract marks and shapes exist as a type of personal signifier, or language, belonging to the characters that occupy these complex Post-Modern landscapes. Born in Ethiopia, Mehretu later studied in Senegal and the USA. Her paintings bring together formal investigations into color and line, with social issues pertaining to power, history and the formation of personal and cultural identity in the globalized world.