In Naples, an International Exhibition to Map Instability and Deactivate Borders

The exhibition "Atlante" at Thomas Dane Gallery in Naples, curated by James Lingwood, brings together works by eight international artists—Igshaan Adams, Teju Cole, Luigi Ghirri, Emma McNally, Claudio Parmiggiani, Anri Sala, Tatiana Trouvé, and Akram Zaatari—to challenge traditional cartographic representations. Through maps, drawings, textiles, and photographs, the show interrogates the ideological and political assumptions embedded in mapping, reframing the Mediterranean not as a border but as a connective space, and exposing the instability and power asymmetries underlying historical worldviews.

This exhibition matters because it reframes cartography as a critical tool for questioning geopolitical boundaries and colonial legacies, a timely intervention in an era of renewed border conflicts and migration debates. By centering instability and multiple perspectives, "Atlante" aligns with contemporary art's broader turn toward decolonizing knowledge and reimagining geography as a site of resistance rather than control.