Hic Sunt Dracones (Here Lay Dragons) Mapping the Unknown: A Project by Rick Lowe

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Lowe, Rick Hic sunt dracones (Here Lay Dragons) Mapping the Unknown 2023 Benaki Museum, Athens Greece

This exhibition was a collaboration between African American contemporary artist Rick Lowe and the curatorial team at the Benaki museum in Athens, held in the summer of 2023. The exhibition was really unique because it combined the contemporary works of Lowe, with the EMST’s existing collection of archives. These archival pieces were selected by Lowe, with help from curators Yorgos Tzirtzilakis and Polina Kosmadak, and draws on both the past and present to talk about the present and future. The efforts of this exhibition were to give a voice to the unknown, unseen, and the unmapped. 

Lowe’s works use abstract shapes and vibrant color to create dynamic maps depicting the Victoria Square neighborhood in Athens. This neighborhood became a part of the narrative of asylum seekers in 2015 because of its use as a campground for refugees. His creations consist of collaged paintings and works on paper, and he plays a lot with mark making, color, and texture to create really dynamic art.

In Latin, the title of the exhibition, “Hic Sunt Dracones”, means dangerous or unexplored territories. In medieval times, mythological creatures like dragons and sea monsters were illustrated on uncharted areas of maps where potential dangers were thought to exist. Lowe uses this idea to encompass the uncertainty that those leaving their home countries face, and the dangers that are involved with taking the leap into the unknown. Athens itself is where dragons may lie for migrants. It is very likely that people seeking refuge and better lives in Europe may have passed recently through Victoria Square in Athens (Documenta 14). Victoria Square was a major destination marker in this way.

Among the curated pieces from the Benaki Museum collection were beautiful shoes, elaborately embroidered rugs, and historical maps of Mecca. All of these items connect to the ideas of the movement of people, of travel, and call back the homes and countries of origin that people seeking asylum must leave behind. The shoes and rugs in particular, stuck out to me. Shoes are so personal to the wearer, and are a tool that physically moves people from one point to another. The rugs were so significant because of their connections to home. One places a rug on the floor of the place where they permanently live to create coziness.

These items helped contextualize Lowe’s work, and brought a really human element to the exhibition. It became a conversation between the past and the present. Without this collaboration, and the inclusion of the clothing and textiles, the show would have been something very different.