Figures 1918, Der Entente by Malala Andrialavidrazana

Der Entente is based on a map created after the First World War, a moment when global territories were being reshaped and political power was being reasserted. By working with this source, Malala Andrialavidrazana highlights how maps are never neutral: they reflect the viewpoints, ambitions, and hierarchies of those who produce them. In this case, the work draws attention to the lingering influence of colonial power structures embedded in the way the world was divided and represented.

The piece forms part of Andrialavidrazana’s broader Figures series, in which she explores how visual representations such as maps, shaped ideas about global movement, trade, and influence during the 19th and 20th centuries. She combines photography, collage, drawing, and text to build richly layered images that merge historical documents with contemporary visual language.

Through collecting and reworking materials from different contexts, including symbols, objects, images, and written fragments, Andrialavidrazana creates compositions that encourage viewers to rethink how nations and identities are constructed. The result is a work that prompts us to consider not only how borders were drawn, but how these acts of mapping continue to influence how we see ourselves, our histories, and our connections to the wider world.