Uploaded November 2020 | Updated September 2026, 3 days ago
In this video, mediator Eimear discusses The Maps of Phantom Island by Agnieszka Kurant, an exhibit featured in INVISIBLE, an exhibition discovering the known and unknown of our universe through physics and philosophy.
THE MAPS OF PHANTOM ISLANDS
What are the politics and economies involved in the production of knowledge?
These phantom territories have appeared on maps at different points in history as results of misconceptions about the world, rumours and mirages observed in different places around the globe. Some were intentional errors of explorers who persuaded governments to get funding for conquering new lands; others were strategically invented by noblemen and governments. Though fictitious, these phantom islands were often the object of real economic transactions or real conflicts. Some of them were only removed from maps in the 1940s, after the development of aerial photography.
ABOUT
Agnieszka Kurant’s recent exhibitions include the Istanbul Biennial, curated by Nicolas Bourriaud; The Age of You at the MOCA Toronto, curated by Hans Ulrich Obrist, Douglas Coupland and Shumon Basar, and Milano Triennale, curated by MoMa curator Paola Antonelli. In 2019, she was awarded the Frontier Art Prize. She is an artist-in-residence at MIT CAST, and a fellow of the Berggruen Institute and the Smithsonian Institute.
Instagram: @agnieszka.kurant
INVISIBLE originated at Science Gallery London, King's College London in 2019, titled DARK MATTER.
In this video, mediator Eimear discusses The Maps of Phantom Island by Agnieszka Kurant, an exhibit featured in INVISIBLE, an exhibition discovering the known and unknown of our universe through physics and philosophy.
THE MAPS OF PHANTOM ISLANDS
What are the politics and economies involved in the production of knowledge?
These phantom territories have appeared on maps at different points in history as results of misconceptions about the world, rumours and mirages observed in different places around the globe. Some were intentional errors of explorers who persuaded governments to get funding for conquering new lands; others were strategically invented by noblemen and governments. Though fictitious, these phantom islands were often the object of real economic transactions or real conflicts. Some of them were only removed from maps in the 1940s, after the development of aerial photography.
ABOUT
Agnieszka Kurant’s recent exhibitions include the Istanbul Biennial, curated by Nicolas Bourriaud; The Age of You at the MOCA Toronto, curated by Hans Ulrich Obrist, Douglas Coupland and Shumon Basar, and Milano Triennale, curated by MoMa curator Paola Antonelli. In 2019, she was awarded the Frontier Art Prize. She is an artist-in-residence at MIT CAST, and a fellow of the Berggruen Institute and the Smithsonian Institute.
Instagram: @agnieszka.kurant
INVISIBLE originated at Science Gallery London, King's College London in 2019, titled DARK MATTER.
