Gareth Fuller is an artist and explorer. His work acts as a layered gaze into the identity of urban and rural places, transcribing their personal, geographical, and social meanings into what he calls ‘maps of the mind’. The results of these transcriptions are vast and intricate hand-drawn compositions – a series of visual portraits that express his personal and purposeful wanderings.
There are many legends surrounding the village of Harman’s Cross and its name. One tells of a man named Harman – a murderer hung at the crossroads. Why a village would be named after a murderer’s execution remains a mystery.
A flying fist outside the gates of Lu Xun Park depicts the scene from Bruce Lee’s film, Fist of Fury, set in 1910, where he destroys a sign telling Chinese people that only foreigners can enter the gardens. Inside the park, a bomb and flags signify an explosion set by a Korean activist that killed members of the Japanese army in 1932.
The Pearl, depicted here by its exterior pattern, logo and musical notes, is a landmark building constructed in 1931. Today's venue hosts many genres of music, theatre and events, including celebrations for Shanghai’s LGBTQ+ community.
