1/ The exhibition: "Imaginary Maps. Inventing Worlds"

From Renaissance sea monsters to fantasy worlds, cartography has never ceased to fascinate artists. Imaginary maps. Inventing worlds " offers a journey through this history, bringing together nearly 200 works, from medieval parchments to video games. We encounter the Ebstorf world map populated by chimeric creatures, or the atlases of Abraham Ortelius where the unknown is populated with wonders. For a long time, maps blended observations and beliefs, placing on the globe locations as hypothetical as Atlantis or Eldorado. Between science and legend, they give form to uncertain territories, from the earthly paradise to Asian cosmographies. Literature, in turn, takes hold of them: from " Treasure Island " at " Narnia The map becomes a narrative matrix. Even today, artists subvert the codes, revealing the imaginary potential inherent in every map. For to represent the world is always already to invent it. See it: Until July 19, BNF François Mitterrand.
bnf.fr

Abraham Ortelius. “Islandia”, in Theatrum orbis terrarum, 1595. BnF, Reserve of rare books.

2/ The collection: “Atlas” from Arthaud Publishing

With some twenty publications to date, the Atlas collection takes maps a different path: it explores the world through its gray areas, its remote corners, and its invisible territories. From the abysses to forgotten islands, from olfactory landscapes to the fortunes of the sea, each volume weaves together scientific knowledge and personal narratives, featuring figures like Jean-Claude Ellena and Francis Hallé, as well as travel writers and explorers. Magnificently illustrated, these books open up breaches in reality, where knowledge is tinged with imagination. After " The Atlas of Abandoned Islands The collection continues its drift towards the unexplored. Next stop in October: The Atlas of the Underworld "Signed by Éric Gilli, a dive into the depths of the Earth."
Artaud.fr

3/ The artist: Marine Le Breton

Kerguelen Islands by Marine Breton

Trained at the Lyon School of Fine Arts, Marine Le Breton made a decisive shift towards cartographic drawing in 2019. With her fine-point technique, her " Marine Charts " unfold a vibrant coastline, at the crossroads of science, history, and imagination, like embroideries traced directly onto the land. Hydrographic data, navigational narratives, and coastal memories: she weaves together sensitive images where reality surfaces without ever exhausting the imagination. Published by Hachette, her long-term project (" Marine Charts: Poetry of the French Coastline in 130 Maps ") continues this year with a second volume dedicated to France's overseas territories. Winner of the French Navy Prize, she embarked on a mission in the Indian Ocean, an experience that will inform a forthcoming book. Residencies, exhibitions, and collaborations with scientists and institutions: her work circulates widely. Currently vying to become an official painter of the French Navy, Marine Le Breton presents a vibrant cartography, where the map becomes both an instrument of knowledge and a space for projection. lescartesmarines.fr

Nantes by Marine Le Breton

4/ The collective: Stevenson

Born from the intersection of artists, geographers, and thinkers, the Stevenson collective explores the map as a language in its own right: no longer simply measuring the world, but narrating it. Their Mappa series (published by Parenthèses) functions like a cartographic cabinet of curiosities, where scholarly maps, vernacular images, and imaginary fragments coexist. From " Mappa Insulae " (real or imagined islands) to " Mappa Urbis " (labyrinthine cities) or " Mappa Naturae " (cartographies of the living world), each volume juxtaposes images and texts in a free-flowing arrangement. Leafed through as one drifts, these atlases prioritize association, echo, and a sense of wonder over demonstration. With their latest publication, " Mappa Mundi ," the collective continues this unruly cartography, poised between science, poetry, and the power of images. editionsparentheses.com