Alighiero Boetti

Alighiero Boetti was a leading artist in the Arte Povera movement. Literally meaning 'poor art' Arte Provera explored non traditional materials and unconventional processes. Artists "aimed to challenge and disrupt the values of the commercialised contemporary gallery system." (tate.org.uk)

In his collection of works titled Mappa, Boetti documented the geopolitics of that time. The documentation of politics in a particular moment in time is something that relates closely to my snakes and ladders piece. In the future the work will act as a historical record.

The Mappa tapestries are all made by Afghan embroiderers. Boetti was "using himself only as the referential artist but considering the works a creation of a combined effort." (publicdelivery.org)

Between 1971 and 1994 over 150 maps were created, tracking geopolitical changes and visualising territory disputes.

I find the idea of capturing a very specific moment in political history very interesting in relation to my own work. Headlines and dates have become a prominent feature of my practice and link together my Advent Calendar for Realists and my Snakes and Ladders.

For a while I was concerned about how quickly my snakes and ladders piece was becoming outdated. However, I think this allows for an interesting collection of work to be developed. Each capturing a moment in history.