Alighiero Boetti
Alighiero Boetti
Map
Map
In the early 1970s, after moving to Rome, he began travelling to Afghanistan, a country he loved and one he was to return to on several occasions up until the Soviet occupation of the country in 1979. In 1971 he began to work on his remarkable series of Geographical Maps, which continued without a break until the year 1994, depicting the world and its socio-political transformation. The series consists of over 150 maps, and it highlights the sensitivity of an artist narrating the story of a world subject to constant political and geographical changes, such as the collapse of the Soviet Union, the reunification of Germany, and the wars in the Middle East. The various States are identified by their colours and flags, and the edge of each map is embroidered with letters, dedications, political or poetical texts and numbers.
In the early 1970s, after moving to Rome, he began travelling to Afghanistan, a country he loved and one he was to return to on several occasions up until the Soviet occupation of the country in 1979. In 1971 he began to work on his remarkable series of Geographical Maps, which continued without a break until the year 1994, depicting the world and its socio-political transformation. The series consists of over 150 maps, and it highlights the sensitivity of an artist narrating the story of a world subject to constant political and geographical changes, such as the collapse of the Soviet Union, the reunification of Germany, and the wars in the Middle East. The various States are identified by their colours and flags, and the edge of each map is embroidered with letters, dedications, political or poetical texts and numbers.
116 x 179 cm
Date: 1984
Medium: embroidery on fabric
Medium: embroidery on fabric
Date: 1984
Medium: embroidery on fabric
Medium: embroidery on fabric
Introduction
Introduction
This map is one of a series of 150 such works that the artist created between 1971 and his death in 1994. The artist drew, on fabric, the planispheres that were sent to Afghanistan where they were embroidered by skilled local women. Boetti opened an embroidery workshop in Kabul, at the One-hotel, his home and workplace, and then following the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, in the refugee camps in Peshawar, Pakistan. Boetti was so enthusiastic about his creative project that he was to state that: “The embroidered map, in my view, represents the ultimate form of beauty. In that project I did nothing, I chose nothing, in the sense that the world is like it is, I did not design it (...). When the underlying idea, the concept, emerges, the rest is not a question of choice”. Thus Boetti sees himself as an artist whose poetics are grounded in his research, ideas, concepts and creativity, while the material execution of his works is entrusted to others living in far-off lands, both geographically and culturally distant from his own world. By decentralising the production of the work of art, Boetti raises the awareness of his co-workers, who are actively involved in the interpretation and material creation of the artistic project. He cultivated a very close relationship with them based on his respect for their culture and their craft skills. Each map is different due to the unforeseeable nature of embroidery and to the individuality of those responsible for the work.
This map is one of a series of 150 such works that the artist created between 1971 and his death in 1994. The artist drew, on fabric, the planispheres that were sent to Afghanistan where they were embroidered by skilled local women. Boetti opened an embroidery workshop in Kabul, at the One-hotel, his home and workplace, and then following the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, in the refugee camps in Peshawar, Pakistan. Boetti was so enthusiastic about his creative project that he was to state that: “The embroidered map, in my view, represents the ultimate form of beauty. In that project I did nothing, I chose nothing, in the sense that the world is like it is, I did not design it (...). When the underlying idea, the concept, emerges, the rest is not a question of choice”. Thus Boetti sees himself as an artist whose poetics are grounded in his research, ideas, concepts and creativity, while the material execution of his works is entrusted to others living in far-off lands, both geographically and culturally distant from his own world. By decentralising the production of the work of art, Boetti raises the awareness of his co-workers, who are actively involved in the interpretation and material creation of the artistic project. He cultivated a very close relationship with them based on his respect for their culture and their craft skills. Each map is different due to the unforeseeable nature of embroidery and to the individuality of those responsible for the work.
The map contained in the Intesa Sanpaolo collection clearly shows the geopolitical situation after the Cold War, with two opposing blocs in evidence. On the left there is the North-American Capitalist Bloc of the USA and Canada, each identified by its respective flag.
The map contained in the Intesa Sanpaolo collection clearly shows the geopolitical situation after the Cold War, with two opposing blocs in evidence. On the left there is the North-American Capitalist Bloc of the USA and Canada, each identified by its respective flag.
On the right we have the countries belonging to the Sino-Soviet Communist Bloc - marked in red - which are respectively identified by the Soviet hammer and sickle, and by the Chinese flag with its five stars. The other continents are indicated by the embroidered flags of the individual nations concerned.
On the right we have the countries belonging to the Sino-Soviet Communist Bloc - marked in red - which are respectively identified by the Soviet hammer and sickle, and by the Chinese flag with its five stars. The other continents are indicated by the embroidered flags of the individual nations concerned.
In the multi-coloured fabric design Afghanistan is deliberately left blank, reflecting uncertainty over the sovereignty of the country under Soviet occupation.
In the multi-coloured fabric design Afghanistan is deliberately left blank, reflecting uncertainty over the sovereignty of the country under Soviet occupation.
The blue background indicates the colour of the waters surrounding the continents.
The blue background indicates the colour of the waters surrounding the continents.
The frame is composed of letters, woven in black and white, composing proverbs or popular sayings. From the top left-hand corner, one reads: "Untruthful words are spoken by the liar. I shall always tell the truth. Never say never". The left-hand edge and bottom of the work feature a famous verse from Ugo Foscolo’s poem “In the evening”. Perhaps because you are the very image of the ultimate quiet, your coming is so dear to me, O Evening!
The frame is composed of letters, woven in black and white, composing proverbs or popular sayings. From the top left-hand corner, one reads: "Untruthful words are spoken by the liar. I shall always tell the truth. Never say never". The left-hand edge and bottom of the work feature a famous verse from Ugo Foscolo’s poem “In the evening”. Perhaps because you are the very image of the ultimate quiet, your coming is so dear to me, O Evening!
The artist’s name and the date of the work are embroidered along the side in the bottom right-hand corner.
The artist’s name and the date of the work are embroidered along the side in the bottom right-hand corner.