Order and Disorder: Alighiero Boetti by Afghan Women

Order and Disorder looks at the cross-cultural context and collaborative nature of Aligheiero Boetti’s iconic artworks. The original, often large-scale works in his series Mappe (Maps), Tutto (Everything), and “squared word” were created in needle and thread by women in Afghanistan and in Pakistani refugee camps following the Soviet invasion in 1979, under the direction of Boetti (1940-1994).

Photographs of the artworks and of Afghan women embroidering them are accompanied by examples of embroidered garments and textiles made by Afghanistan’s diverse peoples. Such items reveal the country’s complex demography and illustrate the kinds of embroideries that were widely traded during the years that Boetti visited.