Achraf Touloub works in drawing, sculpture, and video to reflect on the binary between tradition and modernity. In Surat al-ard, Touloub’s takes as his main subject the map, the quintessential image of modernity’s geopolitical classificatory system. The Arabic title of this piece—often translated as “the navel of the earth”—evokes the way in which all maps are conceived and drawn by representing a specific and biased perspective. Touloub reveals the process of producing the work in layers. By doing so, he allows the materiality to articulate a sense of temporality, suggestive of shifting geopolitical terrain through time. In 2013, Touloub graduated from the École des beaux-arts in Paris. He has exhibited at numerous international galleries and museums, holding his first solo show in 2014 at Galeria Plan B in Berlin. His work is held in collections worldwide, including the Deutsche Bank Collection, the Centre Pompidou in Paris, and the Foundation Claudine et Jean-Marc Salomon. In 2011, Touloub received the Price of Amis des beaux-arts de Paris – Prix Thaddaeus Ropac.