Artwork
Untitled
Untitled is a print by Rirkrit Tiravanija. It dates from 2017 and is held in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art.
About this work
This print is a plain white sheet with black text: a letter to the president protesting an immigration ban.
This print is a plain white sheet with black text: a letter to the president protesting an immigration ban.
It’s one of nine prints made by different artists in 2017 to raise money for immigrant rights. The words are simple, but the act of printing them turns a private letter into public art. You can almost hear the quiet anger in the lines.
If you want to see how other artists turned words into protest, look up the technique impasto.
Overview
Untitled is a digital print from a 2017 portfolio of nine works produced by different artists to support immigrant rights. Created by Rirkrit Tiravanija, the piece consists of a single sheet of white paper bearing black text. It is part of a collective effort to raise funds through art, and is held in the collection of The Museum of Modern Art.
Subject & Meaning
The text is a personal letter addressed to the U.S. president, condemning an immigration ban. Its simplicity and directness transform a private act of dissent into a public statement. By presenting it as a printed object, Tiravanija shifts the letter from a personal appeal to a shared political artifact, inviting viewers to confront the emotional weight of bureaucratic exclusion.
Technique & Style
The work employs minimal visual elements: unadorned white paper and plain black typography. No imagery or decorative features are present. The aesthetic restraint emphasizes the content’s urgency, allowing the words to carry the full burden of meaning. The digital print format ensures uniform reproduction, reinforcing the work’s role as a reproducible act of solidarity.
History & Provenance
The print was produced in 2017 as part of a limited portfolio commissioned to support immigrant advocacy organizations. Each of the nine contributions was identical in format but distinct in content, reflecting individual artistic responses to the same political moment. The Museum of Modern Art acquired the work as part of its ongoing documentation of contemporary social engagement in art.
Context
The portfolio emerged during a period of heightened debate over U.S. immigration policy. Artists were invited to contribute works that could be easily reproduced and sold, making activism accessible and collective. Tiravanija’s contribution aligns with his broader practice of using art to foster dialogue and challenge institutional power through everyday language and gesture.
Legacy
The work contributes to a tradition of artist-led political interventions that prioritize text over image. Its enduring value lies in its clarity and reproducibility, allowing it to circulate beyond the gallery as both artifact and tool. It remains a quiet but persistent record of artistic response to state policy during a critical moment in recent history.
Artist & collection
Artist
Rirkrit Tiravanija is a Thai contemporary artist residing in New York City, Berlin, and Chiangmai, Thailand.
