Cian Dayrit: Liberties Were Taken

The phrase “counter-cartographies” describes Manila-based artist Cian Dayrit interdisciplinary practice of transforming historic maps into portraits of contemporary social conditions. Employing counter- cartography as an approach, Dayrit charts histories of imperialism, industrialization, and systems of subjugation that shape geographical boundaries and cultural narratives around the world. In Summer 2024, Blaffer will present Dayrit’s first solo museum exhibition in the United States with embroidered tapestries, paintings, and sculpture. The exhibition will be accompanied by Countermapping Workshops in Houston to excavate histories of imperialism, extraction, and displacement among historically marginalized people, while summoning new imaginaries that recognize the overlapping global struggles and resistance.