In January of next year, 40 artists — many of whom have worked on Game of Thrones — will debut their latest works at Unseen Westeros, an exhibit highlighting the far-flung and little-seen places of Westeros and Essos, with inspiration taken from The World of Ice and Fire, a book of pre-history about George R.R. Martin’s invented world. Watch the trailer for a little of what you’re in for:
The exhibit will open on January 23 at the Umspannwerk in Reinickendorf, Berlin, a 200-year-old complex of buildings with plenty of space to stage these paintings. It’ll stay open through January 27. What’s more, the plan is for it to be completely free to the public! To pay the artists for their work and cover the costs of the event, the organizers have set up a Kickstarter.
And after looking at a few of the works on offer, I think we can agree that they’re worth it. These sneak peaks come courtesy of Looper, complete with quotes from the artists.
The Arm of Dorne
“Around 12,000 years ago, the First Men came to Westeros from Essos by crossing the Arm of Dorne,” says artist Kristin Johnson. “When the First Men and the Children of the Forest first went to war, the old songs say greenseers of the Children used dark magics to make the seas rise and sweep away the land, shattering the Arm, in a futile attempt to end the invasion of the First Men.”
The Grey King
Eve Venture created this striking rendering of the Grey King, an ancient Ironborn ruler from whom the Greyjoys — and pretty much every other great house on the Iron Islands — claim to be descended.
Pale Spiders Big As Hounds
Remember when Old Nan told young Bran Stark of the horrors visited on Westeros the last time the White Walkers came calling? This is one of them. “The Ice Spiders were a fearsome and effective military unit of the Others during the Long Night,” explained artist Jimmy Przemek Duda. “Though big and strong enough to be used as mounts, it would be even better to see them being chained and held by a warrior riding a dead horse, furious from hunger and thirsty for blood. They would be released from their leashes to viciously attack their victims like a pack of hounds.”
Yeen
This one may even come as a surprise to A Song of Ice and Fire experts, so obscure is it. Yeen is a ruined city on Sothoryos, a mysterious continent we do not visit, not on Game of Thrones or in A Song of Ice and Fire. “There is not much known about Yeen,” says artist Tom Hiebler. “Jungle, black stone ruins, a river. My personal claim was to deliver a super photorealistic image, in which I can feel the jungle, the heat, the moisture emanating from it. The jungle should be endless, the stone buildings gigantic. Nevertheless, a positive feeling should emanate from this city.”
I love that Martin’s world is so rich that it has places and people with complicated histories we don’t even touch on in the main story. Kudos to the artists of Unseen Westeros for bringing some of them to life. To see even more of their work, head to Looper.
RELATED PRODUCT
King in the North Black Hoodie from Game of Thrones
Buy Now!
Buy Now!
And if you think the artists are doing good work, be sure to visit the Unseen Westeros Kickstarter page!
To stay up to date on everything Game of Thrones, follow our all-encompassing Facebook page and sign up for our exclusive newsletter.
Watch Game of Thrones for FREE with a no-risk, 7-day free trial of Amazon Channels