Cynthia Hawkins Maps Memory and Space at Hollybush Gardens
Cynthia Hawkins's exhibition 'Maps Necessary for a Walk in 4D: Chapter 4' at Hollybush Gardens, London, through 1 November, presents five new abstract paintings and three works on paper. The works revisit her 1978–79 drawings mapping her route from her Upper West Side apartment to the 86th Street subway station, originally studies for a sculpture titled 'A Walk in 4D' (1979). Hawkins, now in her seventies, began revisiting these drawings in 2023 for a series exploring memory, subjectivity, and mapmaking. A stencilled grid reminiscent of New York's urban plan appears in all works. The paintings layer forms and colours, with the maps of her past walks sitting on the surface like watermarks, drawn in greasy oil bar. The exhibition is reviewed in the November 2025 issue of ArtReview.
Key facts
- Exhibition 'Maps Necessary for a Walk in 4D: Chapter 4' at Hollybush Gardens, London, through 1 November.
- Features five new abstract paintings and three works on paper by Cynthia Hawkins.
- Works revisit Hawkins's 1978–79 drawings mapping her route from Upper West Side to 86th Street subway station.
- Original drawings were studies for a sculpture titled 'A Walk in 4D' (1979).
- Hawkins began revisiting the drawings in 2023 for an ongoing series on memory, subjectivity, and mapmaking.
- A stencilled grid, reminiscent of New York's urban plan, appears in all works on view.
- Maps of her past walks are drawn on the surface in greasy oil bar, acting as personal marks.
- Reviewed in the November 2025 issue of ArtReview.
Entities
Artists
- Cynthia Hawkins
Institutions
- Hollybush Gardens
- ArtReview
Locations
- London
- United Kingdom
- New York
- United States
- Upper West Side