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Mappa

Alighiero Boetti1971-1973

MAXXI National Museum of XXI Century Arts

MAXXI National Museum of XXI Century Arts
Rome, Italy

This tapestry, made in Kabul by Afghan embroiders to the designs of Alighiero Boetti, represents the global geopolitical situation at the beginning of the 1970s, with the relative distribution of power. The subdivision of the globe on the basis of the territorial confines of each state, identified by its flag, highlights the contrast between the terrestrial forms dictated by nature and the artificial system imposed by man. The decisions to colour the plains of North America (Canada and the United States) red and white, and those of the east (the Soviet Union and China) red marks the partitioning of the entire planet into two dominant and opposing polarities. Lastly, this work develops a reflection on the lengthy time of the Earth and the brevity of human history.

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  • Title: Mappa
  • Creator: Alighiero Boetti
  • Creator Lifespan: 1940 - 1994
  • Creator Nationality: Italian
  • Creator Gender: Male
  • Creator Death Place: Rome
  • Creator Birth Place: Turin
  • Date: 1971-1973
  • Physical Dimensions: w217 x h163 cm
  • Type: Tapestry: hand embroidery on linen
  • External Link: http://maxxisearch.fondazionemaxxi.it/maxxi/opereArte/opereSchedaOpera/IT-MAXXI-OA0001-0000204
  • Description (Italian): In questo arazzo, realizzato a Kabul da ricamatrici afgane su disegno di Alighiero Boetti, è rappresentata la situazione geopolitica mondiale all’inizio degli anni 70, con i relativi rapporti di potere. La suddivisione del planisfero in base ai confini territoriali di ogni stato, contrassegnato dalla propria bandiera, evidenzia il contrasto tra le conformazioni terrestri dettate dalla natura e il sistema artificiale imposto dall’uomo. La scelta di colorare di rosso e bianco le pianure del Nord America (Canada e Stati Uniti) e di rosso quelle orientali (Unione Sovietica e Cina) segnala la spartizione dell’intero planisfero in due grandi polarità dominanti e contrapposte. In questa opera, infine, prende forma una riflessione sul tempo lungo della Terra in rapporto alla brevità della vicenda umana.
MAXXI National Museum of XXI Century Arts

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