Artwork
Untitled
Untitled is an ink print by Gordon Cheung. It dates from 2015 and is held in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art.
About this work
Overview
Untitled, produced in 2015 by Gordon Cheung, is a complex print that combines several techniques, including etching, carborundum relief, and digital printing. The work is part of the Museum of Modern Art’s collection and measures the artist’s interest in layered imagery and mixed‑media processes.
Subject & Meaning
The composition depicts a cowboy astride a rearing bull, both outlined in luminous gold against a backdrop of densely packed, faded text. The juxtaposition of a dynamic rodeo scene with a wall of script suggests a tension between narrative action and the accumulation of language, inviting viewers to consider the interplay of mythic spectacle and textual overload.
Technique & Style
Cheung employs a hybrid approach: an initial etching forms the basic line work, while carborundum relief adds tactile surface texture. Digital printing integrates the background text, and selective gold leaf highlights the figures. The palette—rich reds, greens, and metallic gold—creates a vivid contrast that emphasizes the central drama.
History & Provenance
Created in 2015, the piece entered MoMA’s collection shortly after its completion, reflecting the museum’s commitment to contemporary printmaking practices. It forms part of a larger portfolio that includes additional aquatints, chromogenic prints, and various relief and intaglio works, illustrating Cheung’s broader exploration of print media.
Context
Cheung’s work emerges from a lineage of artists who blend traditional print techniques with digital processes, challenging the boundaries of the medium. The use of carborundum relief—a method popularized in the late 20th century—places the piece within ongoing dialogues about texture and surface in contemporary print art.
Legacy
Untitled exemplifies the possibilities of mixed‑media printmaking in the 2010s, influencing subsequent artists who seek to merge analog and digital methods. Its presence in MoMA underscores the institutional recognition of such hybrid practices as a significant development in modern print culture.
Artist & collection
Artist
Gordon Cheung keeps a stack of Chinese landscape scrolls in his London studio, right next to his printmaking tools.
