Artwork
Untitled
Untitled is a drawing by Mona Hatoum. It dates from 2003 and is held in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art.
About this work
Overview
Created in 2003, this drawing by Mona Hatoum consists of human hair applied to handmade paper.
Created in 2003, this drawing by Mona Hatoum consists of human hair applied to handmade paper. The work’s minimal appearance belies its material complexity: fine strands of hair are delicately placed across the surface, forming a barely discernible oval near the center. The paper’s rough, irregular texture enhances the subtle, almost imperceptible presence of the form, suggesting an act of quiet intervention rather than overt expression.
Subject & Meaning
The faint oval, suggested by hair and a whisper-thin line, evokes the silhouette of a body or a contained space—perhaps a womb, a cell, or a boundary. Hatoum often explores themes of displacement and the body as a site of political tension. Here, the use of human hair, a personal and intimate material, transforms the abstract shape into a silent witness to presence and absence, memory and erasure.
Technique & Style
Hatoum employed human hair as a drawing medium, adhering individual strands to handmade paper with precision. The hair forms a loose, irregular contour, while a faint pencil or graphite line traces its edge, nearly vanishing into the paper’s fibrous surface. The technique rejects boldness, favoring subtlety and tactility—each strand carries the weight of the body it once belonged to, turning the drawing into a fragile archive.
History & Provenance
The work entered the collection of The Museum of Modern Art in New York following its creation in 2003. It is one of several pieces by Hatoum that engage with materiality and the body as political metaphors. Though not publicly exhibited frequently, its inclusion in MoMA’s collection situates it within a broader discourse on contemporary drawing and the use of non-traditional media in post-1990s art.
Context
Hatoum’s practice emerged from her experience as a Palestinian living in exile, often addressing themes of confinement, surveillance, and bodily vulnerability. In the early 2000s, her work increasingly turned to intimate, scaled-down forms that evoked psychological and geopolitical borders. This drawing reflects that shift—using fragile, organic materials to suggest invisible structures of control and belonging.
Legacy
This work contributes to a broader redefinition of drawing as a medium capable of carrying embodied memory and political resonance. By substituting ink or graphite with human hair, Hatoum challenges conventional notions of mark-making and authorship. Its quiet presence continues to influence artists exploring materiality, absence, and the politics of the personal in contemporary art.
Artist & collection
Artist
Mona Hatoum (Arabic: منى حاطوم; born 1952) is a British-Palestinian multimedia and installation artist who lives in London.
