CHERIE BENNER DAVIS

In my practice “mapping” approaches have served as fertile means for conveying visual information. There have been global maps: “If Ruled the World” incorporates a world atlas background that is color coded according to dominant religion in a given area. Some works focus on particular cities: “Known World” highlights the streets of Paris where I once lived and occasionally have returned, but presents only those streets that I personally have traversed by foot, a very particular way of understanding a city. Some maps speak to life in Southern California. We Los Angelinos tend to spend a good deal of time navigating via car, the various freeways, streets and neighborhoods that make up this vast metropolis. Pieces made from repurposed AAA maps and Thomas Guides focus on the roads and freeways of Los Angeles and Orange Counties where I have lived and worked for most of my life. These are playful interpretations that point to the dizzying intricacy of the physical place as well as the psychological ramifications of the practically constant navigation required for living in this particular place.