Artwork
Untitled
Untitled is a drawing by Kuniharu Akiyama. It dates from 1965 and is held in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art.
About this work
Overview
Created in 1965 by Japanese artist Kuniharu Akiyama, this untitled work is a drawing executed with felt‑tip pen on a piece of fabric. The object is part of the collection of the Museum of Modern Art. Measuring roughly the size of a small poster, the piece presents a handwritten schedule rendered in red and blue ink.
Subject & Meaning
The composition functions as a program for a series of events titled “Fluxus Week,” listing four days of activities such as “Water Music” and “Fluxus Short Films.” Names of participants, including D. Higgins and N.J. Paik, appear alongside brief titles, suggesting a collaborative, interdisciplinary agenda typical of the Fluxus movement.
Technique & Style
Akiyama employed a felt‑tip pen to produce a rapid, informal hand‑writing style on a rough textile surface. The mixture of English and Japanese characters, occasional parentheses, and crossed‑out words convey a sense of immediacy. The fabric’s worn edges, stains, and frayed margins add a tactile, archival quality to the visual record.
History & Provenance
The work was produced in the mid‑1960s, a period when Fluxus activities were spreading internationally. It entered the Museum of Modern Art’s holdings through a donation in the early 2000s, where it has been displayed as part of the museum’s documentation of avant‑garde event art.
Context
Fluxus Week reflects the broader network of artists, musicians, and filmmakers who gathered around the Fluxus ethos of chance, humor, and interdisciplinary exchange. By listing participants such as Paik, the schedule situates Akiyama’s drawing within a global community that blurred the boundaries between visual art, performance, and media.
Artist & collection
