The surface of the earth covers 510 million square kilometres. For centuries, people across the world have tried to render this great planet intelligible by reproducing it on a smaller scale: in the form of world maps.
World maps, from the past to the present day, reveal what we know about the world. World maps mirror the spirit of the times. In medieval Christendom, Jerusalem was placed at the centre of world maps. Unexplored parts of the world were populated with monsters and mythical beings. Subsequent voyages of discovery extended our horizons. Eastern and Western knowledge joined forces. Globes saw the light of day. Nowadays, thanks to Google's satellite maps, we would appear to have full knowledge of the whole world. But is that really the case?
'The World in a Mirror' relates the history of the Western conception of the world based on unique maps and globes. The world was coloured in a little more with each passing century, however, it was depicted differently in each century as well. Several contemporary artists have added to this story their own mirrors on the world.