Ex libris van antiquariaat Russica 1921 - 1932

This map of Valenciennes, made in 1696 by an anonymous artist, is like a little jewel box of urban planning rendered in delicate lines and muted greens. I can imagine the artist hunched over their table, obsessively detailing each tiny street and fortification, their hand moving with the precision of a seasoned engraver. It's tempting to zoom in on all these little notations, trying to decipher what life was like then. What does the map tell us about power, about the structures that govern our movement and perception? How much do these graphic lines determine what's considered 'inside' and 'outside'? Artists are always in conversation with one another, riffing on ideas and pushing boundaries. Maybe this artist was influenced by cartographers of the past, or perhaps they were responding to the political climate of their time. Each map like this builds on previous ways of seeing and being in the world, remixing and reimagining collective possibilities.