At the crossroads of fiction and reality, mapography enters. In this new exhibition, curator Eli Commins presents 12 cartographic projects rooted in myriad themes and social contexts, one of which appears particularly relevant to IDAIA’s mission.
Between the brutal art, scientific research and digital designs lies the collective works of APY artists.
View of the exhibition Dans les plis des cartes © Photo courtesy of Le Lieu Unique
APY designates the Aṉangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara community, located in remote areas of North-West South Australia. This traditional land is home to 7 art centres, one of which produced the two art pieces presented at Dans les plis des cartes.
The whole project explores the idea of exil, environmental disasters, utopias, common goods and the Aboriginal Songlines serve as a constant reminder of the necessity of broaden our western understanding of the land beyond us.
View of the exhibition Dans les plis des cartes © Photo courtesy of Le Lieu Unique
Songlines sing the tales of creation, also called Tingari / Dreaming, of Aboriginal peoples. It recalls how ancestors built the landscapes, animals and laws. Those same stories are passed down through generational cycles and within one’s kinship (the system that defines of individuals relate to others and their surroundings). Passing on the community’s Songline works as a duty and a common ground within different communities.
Thus, Dans les plis des cartes unfolds the powerful cultural and social magic behind Songlines and the need to comprehend the relational structure and communal systems behind it.
Dans les plis des cartes is exhibited in Nantes at Le Lieu Unique from the 25th of October 2025 to the 11th of January 2026.
SOURCE: Le Lieu Unique