Here Be Dragons

Here Be Dragons is a series inspired by President Trump’s attempts to institute a travel ban on six predominantly Muslim Countries. While historically there are actually only a couple of documented uses of the phrase “Here Be Dragons” on maps, it’s recognized meaning in pop culture is a demarcation of an unexplored, and therefore dangerous area. In reality, these monsters proved less a threat to civilization than to exploration, since monsters were often placed in poorly known areas that needed further exploration. The same thing is happening today, the media portrayal of these countries is dominated by images of violence and terrorism. For many Americans these countries may as well be occupied by dragons, seeing dangerous men instead of refugees in need. I made these maps to encourage people to not repeat history, to put aside fear and learn about these cultures and countries. It is only through exploring places that are foreign and ‘scary’ that the global refugee crisis will end.