Artwork
Untitled
Untitled is an ink print by Philippe Parreno. It dates from 2003 and is held in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art.
About this work
Overview
The work belongs to a broader body of Parreno’s practice that treats exhibition spaces and temporal experience as integral to the artwork itself.
Created in 2003, this screenprint by French artist Philippe Parreno employs phosphorescent ink to produce a luminous, shifting visual field. Unlike traditional prints, it relies on ambient light absorption and delayed emission, altering perception over time. The work belongs to a broader body of Parreno’s practice that treats exhibition spaces and temporal experience as integral to the artwork itself.
Subject & Meaning
The print features a collage of cartoon-like figures engaged in mundane or playful activities—dancing, playing instruments, moving in fragmented sequences. These images lack narrative cohesion, suggesting a dislocated, non-linear time. The absence of clear context invites viewers to project meaning, aligning with Parreno’s interest in destabilizing fixed interpretations and exploring how images circulate without fixed origins.
Technique & Style
Screenprinting with phosphorescent ink allows the image to glow faintly after exposure to light, creating an ephemeral quality. The greenish palette and flat, graphic forms evoke commercial illustration, yet the material’s delayed luminescence introduces a temporal dimension. The technique transforms the print from a static object into a slowly evolving presence, blurring boundaries between object and event.
History & Provenance
Produced in 2003, this work emerged during a period when Parreno was increasingly focused on non-linear storytelling and institutional critique. It was likely made in conjunction with his broader projects exploring exhibition as a choreographed experience. While specific ownership history is not widely documented, it has been included in group exhibitions addressing time, perception, and media.
Context
Parreno’s work in the early 2000s intersected with contemporaries like Pierre Huyghe and Liam Gillick, who questioned traditional art formats. This print reflects a shift toward art that responds to environmental conditions and viewer presence. Its use of pop-derived imagery aligns with postmodern strategies of appropriation, but its material properties anchor it in sensory, rather than purely symbolic, experience.
Legacy
The work contributes to a lineage of time-based and light-sensitive art that prioritizes perception over fixed form. Its use of phosphorescent materials influenced later artists exploring luminous and reactive surfaces. Parreno’s integration of industrial printing techniques into fine art contexts helped expand the definition of printmaking, emphasizing process and duration over static reproduction.
Artist & collection
Artist
Philippe Parreno (born 1964 in Grenoble, France) is a French contemporary artist, living and working in Paris.
