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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