Edition: 10
Created: 2026
Size: 4.5″ hexagon
Price/Availablity: $900 – Sale inquiries email insiya@insiya.com
Boxed In: Mapping the Divide explores the fundamental human impulse to classify as a primary way to understand ourselves and the world around us.
We began by drawing lines between stars to create celestial maps for navigation and discovery; paradoxically, these very tools have created the ideological and physical walls that box us in. This sculptural book asks a singular, piercing question: When did our need to understand become a way to divide?
The work is composed of 11 interconnected hexagons that visually manifest as a cube and form a physical infinity loop. This structure mirrors the cyclical nature of human definition—where one boundary ends, another begins.
The narrative is divided into four thematic scales of human “boxing”:
- The Celestial Map: The abstract, cosmic impulse to define destiny and identity.
- The World Map: The geopolitical impulse to define nationhood and belonging.
- The Plat Map: The socio-economic impulse to define property and neighborhood.
- The Architectural Blueprint: A study of “our space” and the infrastructure of our daily divisions.
Each page is hand-painted with acrylics in a palette of blues and greens. Using a process called laser ablation, a laser is used to meticulously etch away the pigment, revealing the pristine white paper underneath. This creates a high-contrast visual dialogue between historical maps and contemporary architectural plans.
The book is housed in a custom-built hexagonal enclosure featuring an etched blueprint exterior and a ribbon pull-tab for removal.
