A Necessary Fiction: Maps, Art, and Models of Our World: Abbazia di San Gregorio, Venice

A Necessary Fiction: Maps, Art, and Models of Our World explores the ways maps have shaped our understanding of place, identity, and imagination across centuries. Presented at the Abbazia di San Gregorio in Venice, the exhibition brings together historical cartographic materials and contemporary artworks to examine how humans have continually created models of the world—from mythological and scientific interpretations to digital mapping systems.

Through installations, sculptures, manuscripts, and site-specific commissions, the exhibition reflects on themes of movement, belonging, trade, memory, and cultural exchange. Positioned in dialogue with historical maps from international collections, contemporary artists investigate the political, poetic, and speculative dimensions of cartography. Manal AlDowayan’s work extends these conversations to the landscapes of AlUla, exploring connections between geography, place, and collective memory.

Curated by Sara Almutlaq and Aurora Fonda, with associate curators Zaira Carrer and Amina Diab, the exhibition is on view at the Abbazia di San Gregorio, Venice.

List of exhibiting artists: Sarah Abu Abdallah, Monira Al Qadiri, Abdulmohsen Albinali, Manal AlDowayan, Marwah AlMugait, Nasser Al Salem, Aseel AlYaqoub, Giorgio Andreotta Calò, Agnes Denes, Nolan Oswald Dennis, Öyvind Fahlström, Simone Fattal, Basmah Felemban, Enej Gala, Shilpa Gupta, Reena Saini Kallat, Ibrahim Mahama, Ahmed Mater, Eva & Franco Mattes, Abdullah Miniawy, Filwa Nazer, Yoko Ono, Trevor Paglen, Matilde Sambo, Wael Shawky, Tavares Strachan, Giuditta Vendrame, Tod Wodicka, Qiu Zhijie.