Peter Scott
Future City
The Suburban
723 S 5th St., Milwaukee, WI
December 2 - February 10, 2019

An endless wall of dark green plywood snakes along and across sidewalks, past fire hydrants and under corrugated metal. Occasionally, vignettes of a future city appear on the wall with images of placid consumers, seemingly hypnotized, wandering in and out of glistening apartments, boutiques, and
mega stores.

Over these hermetic scenes, swirls of paint rake across stylish new building facades along with the occasional profanity or tag, interrupting otherwise seamless imagery meant to flatter and persuade. Like most graffiti the street is the canvas. But here imaginary streets based on real ones have been rearranged
to suit lifestyle culture. Where the dream world of the future imposes itself on the streets of the present, writing over clichéd images of success signals dissent and resistance to the storybook narratives of Future City.

Bulging out over streets and sidewalks, the green plywood wall forces pedestrians to yield to its temporary girth. As another glass and steel box is eventually unveiled, it takes its place among the many as Future City relentlessly presses on.