Dark and Light Continents 2002

Editor: Here we have Joyce Kozloff's "Dark and Light Continents," created in 2002. It seems to be a mixed-media installation of fragmented world maps. What strikes me is the rather somber palette; the dark blues and grays give it a melancholic feel. What do you make of it? Curator: Indeed. The somber colors and fragmented form speak volumes. Maps, historically, are tools of power, instruments to claim territory, and define boundaries. But here, the continents appear adrift, vulnerable, almost like relics. Notice how the repeated ovoid shapes resemble the gores used to construct globes – but these are deconstructed, flattened, perhaps representing a loss of wholeness. Does it make you think of something? Editor: Perhaps a loss of connection to the land itself, and maybe even a critical view of globalization? The fragmented nature makes it seem like the world is falling apart. Curator: Exactly. The artist is playing with the symbolism of maps, taking this visual language of order and control, and transforming it to evoke uncertainty. Think about what the artist communicates using familiar icons: do these recognizable shapes evoke the feeling of nostalgia and shared humanity? Editor: I see what you mean. There is something quite universal about maps that perhaps bypasses borders and conflicts. Curator: This universality is amplified by how Kozloff is subverting that very symbolic form. There is cultural memory embedded within, isn't there? This piece pushes us to reflect on our relationship to geography, power, and perhaps, the fragility of our world. Editor: I had not considered how loaded something like a map could be! Thanks! Curator: My pleasure, an image, as always, is never only what it shows; consider, also, what it hides, and what you are now ready to find.