Prize-winning Haringey artist creates passport map of London
Using information from the 2011 census, Yanko Tihov has represented each borough on the map with different non-British passport covers.
Originally from Bulgaria, the 38-year-old now lives in Bounds Green.
The artist described his move to Haringey from Holland Park a couple of years ago as “almost like going to another country.”
In his artwork, Haringey is represented by its three main foreign nationalities: Poland, Turkey and Jamaica.
Barnet is shown in the passport colours of India, Poland and Iran and Camden is distilled into the passports of the United States, Bangladesh and Ireland.
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Mr Tihov believes that the only other city in the world where he could create such a map would be the metropolitan city of New York.
In Haringey, the artist enjoys visiting the Polish corner shop near him, and discovering the new cultures tightly knitted into the borough.
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“I love the multi-cultural side of London,” Mr Tihov said. “It’s a rich mentality; people should embrace those around them.”
Mr Tihov chose to take on the dual Bulgarian-British citizenship five years ago, even though it was largely ceremonial for him as a European citizen.
He was partly inspired to create the map through his own experiences and pride in receiving a British passport.
“I feel part of British society, my friends, and career are dedicated to this place - my art is dedicated to this city,” he said.
The artwork of the city has been constructed with 32 different passports of the various passport holders living in greater London.
The seals, cover texts and coats of arms of each passport have been hand-painted by Mr Tihov in 23-carat gold.
Mr Tihov now plans to create a historical map of different cultures, using census data from earlier decades, comparing and contrasting with the present day.
