Artist collaboration creates large mural in the Map Room

London-based British-Indian artist Hormazd Narielwalla has collaborated with the Society to create a new mural, Expanding Universe, a body of abstract work that will hang in the Map Room for the next five years.

The installation is part of a wider Society project considering the items on display around our building, ensuring that those selected not only better represent the range of our constituencies and the breadth of our work, but also make the building more welcoming.

Expanding Universe was developed after Hormazd’s research into the Society’s map collection and the artwork incorporates references from the Society’s historical archive including monsters, sea creatures and mythical characters popular in 15th century cartography.

The artwork was created in Hormazd’s Shoreditch studio, combining collage and repurposed vintage, bespoke tailoring patterns. These patterns form the foundation of the work – an abstract maze of complex notations that imply the infinity of the universe. The mural also depicts themes of migration, discovery and colonialism embodied within geography and traditions of Western map-making, which has been inextricably linked with the Empire.

Hormazd commented: “When I started looking at these particular patterns as an installation I immediately thought of the universe and India within this…the painting installation I have created celebrates India’s successful mission to the moon as a symbol of its recovery from colonialism, but it also moves into a broader context of the expansive universe. I wanted this work to embody hope, joy, and colour – a story told through geometry and form.”

Director of the Society, Professor Joe Smith, said: “We are delighted to welcome Hormazd's artwork to the Society's Map Room as a long-term installation. This contemporary piece deftly intersects geographical and artistic practice.

Displayed in a space that holds globally unique and highly significant historical maps, globes and paintings, and incorporating elements inspired by drawings and cartography in our Collections, his abstract work will provide a striking impetus for viewers to contemplate the past, present and future of mapping.”

To find out more about the artwork, you can attend a public tour, led by Hormazd, on these dates:

• Monday 30 September at 2.00pm.
• Monday 11 November at 2.00pm.
• Wednesday 11 December at 2.00pm.

Book your place by contacting director@rgs.org

Learn more about the mural