Artwork
Untitled
Untitled is a print by Laura Owens. It dates from 2001 and is held in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum.
About this work
Overview
This print by Laura Owens belongs to a series that explores the boundaries between handmade and machine-made imagery. It layers visual references from textile design, painting, and printmaking, creating a work that appears assembled yet is entirely fabricated. The composition suggests collage without using actual fabric, challenging assumptions about material authenticity in contemporary art.
Subject & Meaning
The work depicts abstracted floral forms composed of patterned paper elements, evoking garden motifs without literal representation. These floral shapes draw from decorative traditions—Japanese textiles, embroidery, and paisley—but are stripped of cultural specificity. The flowers function as visual placeholders, inviting consideration of how nature is mediated through design and reproduction.
Technique & Style
Owens employs printed paper to mimic the textures of fabric, creating the illusion of appliqué and embroidery. Each petal is a unique print, varying in pattern and placement across the edition. The hand-drawn outlines and irregular edges contrast with the precision of the printed motifs, blending gestural spontaneity with mechanical reproduction.
History & Provenance
This print is part of a limited edition produced in the early 2000s, during a period when Owens was deepening her engagement with print media. The work reflects her broader practice of reinterpreting craft aesthetics through contemporary techniques. No documented prior ownership or exhibition history is widely recorded for this specific piece.
Context
Owens’ approach aligns with late 20th-century strategies that question authorship and material truth in art. Her use of printed fabric illusions responds to postmodern interests in simulation and appropriation, while her references to global decorative arts situate her within a broader dialogue on cross-cultural visual language.
Legacy
The print exemplifies Owens’ influence on a generation of artists who blur medium boundaries. By foregrounding illusion over authenticity, her work expanded the possibilities of printmaking beyond traditional techniques, encouraging a reconsideration of craft, reproduction, and the handmade in contemporary practice.
Artist & collection
Artist
Laura Owens (born 1970) is an American painter, gallery owner and educator. She emerged in the late 1990s from the Los Angeles art scene. She is known for large-scale paintings that combine a variety of art historical…
