A Necessary Fiction: Maps, Art, and Models of Our World

The Saudi Ministry of Culture announces A Necessary Fiction: Maps, Art, and Models of Our World, a new exhibition at the Abbazia di San Gregorio in Venice on view from May 6 to November 22. The exhibition is curated by an international team, led by Sara Almutlaq and Aurora Fonda with associate curators Zaira Carrer and Amina Diab.

A Necessary Fiction is a journey through territories in constant flux, where historical maps—dating from the thirteenth century to the present—serve as a lens through which to examine our enduring need to create models of the world. These models offer fantastic mythological visions and imaginative interpretations of scientific inquiry throughout the ages to the present day. The curators, working in close collaboration with exhibition designers Ibrahim Kombarji and Bianca Pedron, create a dynamic perspective on cartography over time and across a wide geographical span.

Early-modern maps, loaned from the collections of major global institutions, are placed in conversation with contemporary artworks. European maps depict the Arabian Peninsula as Arabia deserta, while first-century CE historical artifacts like incense burners and eighteenth-century decorative manuscripts from the Arabian Peninsula demonstrate the legacy of trade and multifaceted cultural interaction that has always shaped this region.

Maps are conduits for the poetry and harmony of the universe, as in the courtyard installation by Nasser Al Salem and the site-specific works by Matilde Sambo that guide visitors through the colonnade of the Abbazia di San Gregorio. The site-specific installation on the Abbazia’s façade by Monira Al Qadiri reconnects us to the journeys Arab travelers made to Northern Europe one thousand years ago. Shilpa Gupta and Reena Saini Kallat investigate the fragile, transient nature of maps, while artist Manal AlDowayan extends our elemental sense of belonging provided through cartography to the geographical landscapes of AlUla.

A Necessary Fiction grapples with the digital revolution that has profoundly altered our relationship with cartography. Works by Trevor Paglen and Eva & Franco Mattes reveal a world where we navigate via digital interfaces, often losing a direct connection with our surroundings. In response, Giorgio Andreotta Calò’s work is a powerful call to reclaim the physical experience of geography through his walking pieces, while Yoko Ono invites us to dream and imagine our own personal maps. The role of fiction in making maps is further illustrated in the novella by Tod Wodicka, presented in the courtyard of the Abbazia di San Gregorio as a sound installation by Abdullah Miniawy.

List of participating institutions: King Abdulaziz Public Library, Riyadh; King Abdulaziz Foundation for Research and Archive, Riyadh; Biblioteca Civica Bertoliana of Vicenza; Cremona State Library; Saudi National Museum, Riyadh; Leiden University Libraries; Qatar National Library, Doha, amongst others.

List of exhibiting artists: Sarah Abu Abdallah, Monira Al Qadiri, Abdulmohsen Albinali, Manal AlDowayan, Marwah AlMugait, Nasser Al Salem, Aseel AlYaqoub, Giorgio Andreotta Calò, Agnes Denes, Nolan Oswald Dennis, Öyvind Fahlström, Simone Fattal, Basmah Felemban, Enej Gala, Shilpa Gupta, Reena Saini Kallat, Ibrahim Mahama, Ahmed Mater, Eva & Franco Mattes, Abdullah Miniawy, Filwa Nazer, Yoko Ono, Trevor Paglen, Matilde Sambo, Wael Shawky, Tavares Strachan, Giuditta Vendrame, Tod Wodicka, Qiu Zhijie.

Press inquiries:
Darine Wehbi, Send / Receive, darine@sendreceive.eu
Saudi Ministry of Culture, intl.media@moc.gov.sa