Artwork
Untitled
Untitled is an ink print by Philippe Parreno. It dates from 2013 and is held in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art.
About this work
Overview
As a print, it engages with reproducibility and materiality, aligning with Parreno’s broader interest in how objects behave within exhibition spaces.
Created in 2013, this screenprint by French artist Philippe Parreno is executed in phosphorescent ink, producing a surface that emits a faint glow under low light. The work presents a uniform field of blue without form or detail, reducing visual content to its most minimal expression. As a print, it engages with reproducibility and materiality, aligning with Parreno’s broader interest in how objects behave within exhibition spaces.
Subject & Meaning
The work’s singular hue and absence of imagery challenge conventional expectations of representation. Rather than depicting something, it enacts an experience—waiting for light to reveal its latent glow. This delay and transformation over time reflect Parreno’s preoccupation with perception, duration, and the conditions under which art is encountered, turning the viewer’s presence into an active component of the piece.
Technique & Style
Using screenprinting with phosphorescent ink, Parreno exploits the physical properties of the medium to create an image that changes with environmental conditions. The technique allows for precise, flat application of luminous pigment, resulting in a surface that appears inert by day but activates in darkness. This method aligns with his interest in non-traditional materials and the temporal dimension of visual experience.
History & Provenance
Produced in 2013, this print is part of a series of works by Parreno that investigate the boundaries between object, environment, and viewer. It emerged during a period when he was increasingly focused on how exhibitions function as narrative structures. The work has been included in institutional collections and exhibitions exploring light-based and time-sensitive art practices.
Context
Parreno’s practice emerged in the 1990s alongside artists redefining art as an event rather than a static object. This print resonates with contemporaneous explorations in conceptual and relational aesthetics, where the viewer’s interaction and ambient conditions shape meaning. It also connects to broader artistic inquiries into luminosity and invisibility, from minimalism to light art.
Legacy
The work contributes to an ongoing dialogue about the agency of materials and the role of time in perception. Its quiet, persistent glow invites reflection on what remains visible—or invisible—under changing conditions. As a quiet counterpoint to spectacle-driven art, it endures as a subtle meditation on presence, absence, and the unseen.
Artist & collection
Artist
Philippe Parreno (born 1964 in Grenoble, France) is a French contemporary artist, living and working in Paris.
