COUNTERFEIT WORLDS / ASHRAF JAMAL 13/22 ARTAFRICA
FEATURE / THAT ART FAIRCOUNTERFEIT WORLDS
MALALA ANDRIALAVIDRAZANA
by Ashraf Jamal
Wilt thou know what wonders strange be in the land that late was found?
Wilt thou learn thy life to lead by divers ways that godly be?
Wilt thou of virtue and of vice understand the very ground?
Wilt thou see this wretched world, how full it is of vanity?
Penned in 1556, Cornelius Grapheus’ invitation stands at the cusp of Europe’s great modern era
of exploration. Such was the passion for discovery, the zest for other-worldliness, that (in 1570) it
would spawn the creation of Theatrum Orbis Terrarum or Theatre of the Countries of the World, the most
popular and widely read publication of the sixteenth century. “Here was the world itself, with its many
component parts,” writes Paul Binding, “and it was shown to be a place of extraordinary varieties
and a singular whole.”
Malala Andrialavidrazana, Figures 1817, Eslam or the Countries which have
professed the Faith of Mohamet, 2015. UltraChrome Pigment Print on Hahnemühle
Photo Rag Ultra Smooth, 305 gsm, 110,5 x 163,7 cm.ARTAFRICA