Artwork
Untitled
Untitled is a gouache drawing by Francis Alÿs. It dates from 2002 and is held in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art.
About this work
Overview
Francis Alÿs’ 2002 work, titled Untitled, is catalogued as a drawing despite its extensive mixed-media composition.
Francis Alÿs’ 2002 work, titled Untitled, is catalogued as a drawing despite its extensive mixed-media composition. It combines traditional drawing tools—pencil, colored pencil, ink, gouache, ballpoint and felt‑tip pens—with a collage of printed and photographic elements, including instant prints, chromogenic color prints, postcards, maps, and assorted paper fragments. The assembled pieces are affixed to transparentized paper using pressure‑sensitive tape and stickers, and the overall arrangement is presented on pine tables topped with acrylic sheets, accompanied by two‑channel video components.
Technique & Style
The piece employs a bricolage approach, juxtaposing hand‑drawn marks with mechanically reproduced images. Alÿs layers media in a tactile manner, integrating cut‑and‑pasted printed matter and three‑dimensional objects such as paper clips and metal lamps. The inclusion of video—displayed on adjacent screens—extends the flat surface into a temporal dimension, merging static collage with moving imagery to create a hybrid visual field that blurs the boundaries between drawing, assemblage, and installation.
Context
Created in the early 2000s, Untitled reflects Alÿs’ interest in urban environments and the circulation of information. The presence of maps, street‑level photographs, and crowd footage suggests an investigation of public space and collective movement. By assembling disparate documentary sources, the work comments on the ways visual records accumulate and intersect within contemporary city life, echoing broader artistic concerns of the period regarding media saturation and the layering of personal and public narratives.
History & Provenance
Since its completion in 2002, the artwork has been part of the collection of the Museum of Modern Art in New York. It remains listed in the museum’s catalogue as a drawing, despite its complex materiality, and is displayed within the institution’s contemporary art holdings, where it is often presented alongside other mixed‑media works that explore similar themes of urbanity and media convergence.
Artist & collection
Artist
Francis Alÿs is a Belgian-born, Mexico-based artist. He works across art, architecture, and social practice. In 1986, Alÿs left behind his profession as an architect and relocated to Mexico City, where he lives and works.
