Tom Haugomat - Philadelphia, USA

Silkscreen print, edition of 50, signed and numbered by the artist, unframed

Destination: Philadelphia, USA

Jaunt #111

approx. 27.5"h x 19.75"w, 70cm x 50cm

"I knew a little bit about Philadelphia’s historical background—its role as a birthplace of the United States, the red brick buildings, the museums—but I didn’t want to go through the city like a tourist ticking off landmarks. My idea was to find a more personal entry point, something that would let me explore the city in a way that felt authentic. So I started looking into urban nature projects and discovered the Urban Forest Initiative, which sparked the idea of using parks and reforestation zones as a way to navigate Philly. That gave me a kind of map to follow, and also a loose theme to start drawing from. 

I didn’t expect the scale and beauty of Philadelphia’s green spaces—biking along the Wissahickon Trail was a real highlight. It felt cinematic, especially crossing those big American-style bridges you only ever see in movies when you grow up in Europe. However, one of the strongest impressions I had was the contrast between neighborhoods that are clearly being gentrified and the deep poverty that coexists right next to them. It’s not something I had anticipated to such a degree. There’s a visible crisis in the city, many people living on the streets, dealing with addiction, and it hit me hard. I stayed in a small house in a recently renovated area, but just a few blocks away the reality was completely different. Taking the subway also revealed a side of the city that I couldn’t ignore. It made it hard to keep my initial focus on just trees and parks and I found myself more drawn to the people, to those who live and breathe in this complex and unpredictable environment.

The artwork I made  is based on a somewhat unsettling yet powerful memory. I was on a bus one evening coming back from Pennypack Park, and I saw a group of very young kids, maybe six or seven years old, some of them wearing ski masks, all running around and throwing things in the street. It wasn’t violent, but it was chaotic, a bit like something out of Lord of the Flies. It was such a strange contrast—children acting out in a way that felt completely unfiltered. It left a big impression on me, and I tried to translate that eerie energy into the artwork." –Tom Haugomat