Invisible Countries

A woman travels to seven "invisible" countries, and from the moment of arrival she is surprised, challenged, and disturbed by what she discovers. In the brightly colored and somewhat sinister world conjured by American novelist Sylvia Brownrigg, what is standard—passing through customs, checking in to a hotel, pronouncing words in a foreign language—becomes challenging and fraught. A traveler's search for adventure vies with the anxiety provoked by the oddity of the unfamiliar. In Invisible Countries, Brownrigg explores border-crossing, cultural misunderstanding, touristic voyeurism, and naivete as her visitor attempts to navigate the environments she encounters. Accompanying the text are images by renowned British artist Tacita Dean, which extend the traveler's journeys into spheres that turn almost uncanny in their combination of abstraction and realistic detail.