Global Cities

Global Cities looks at changes in the social and built forms of ten large, dynamic, international cities: Cairo, Istanbul, Johannesburg, London, Los Angeles, Mexico City, Mumbai, São Paulo, Shanghai and Tokyo.

Drawing on data originally assembled for the 10th Venice Architecture Biennale, the exhibition features both visual art and architectural responses to explore these cities through five thematic lenses: speed, size, density, diversity and form.

This exhibition in the Turbine Hall at Tate Modern incorporates a range of existing art works that explore conditions in each of the focus cities, with many of the international artists presenting their work in the UK for the first time. Closer to home, a number of commissions responding to the London context and to specific issues such as sustainability and social inclusion have been realised especially for the exhibition. As Global Cities takes place in the midst of one of the focus cities, the exhibition uses London as a concrete point of reference and comparison. Inspired by the local urban dimension of London as part of a global phenomenon, a selection of prestigious architectural practices have been commissioned to present research and proposals about London's urban development.