Artwork
Untitled
Untitled is a drawing by Rosemberg Sandoval. It dates from 1983 and is held in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art.
About this work
Overview
Created in 1983 by Rosemberg Sandoval, this drawing consists of adhesive bandages applied to a diazotype surface. The work belongs to The Museum of Modern Art’s collection and exemplifies an unconventional approach to drawing, repurposing medical supplies as a medium. Its physicality and material contrast challenge traditional notions of what constitutes a drawing.
Subject & Meaning
The work invites interpretation as a metaphor for injury, repair, or hidden structures within the body or society, though it resists fixed narrative.
The arrangement of bandages suggests a schematic network or cartographic form, evoking bodily pathways or systemic connections without depicting a literal scene. The work invites interpretation as a metaphor for injury, repair, or hidden structures within the body or society, though it resists fixed narrative. Its ambiguity encourages viewers to consider the symbolic potential of everyday objects.
Technique & Style
Sandoval employed adhesive bandages as both line and texture, pressing them directly onto a diazotype paper to create a layered, tactile surface. The transparency of the diazotype allows underlying tones to show through, while the bandages’ fibrous edges add irregularity. The result is a hybrid of drawing and collage, emphasizing material presence over representational form.
History & Provenance
The work entered The Museum of Modern Art’s collection following its creation in 1983. It is among the few known pieces by Sandoval to survive from this period, reflecting his brief but distinctive engagement with material experimentation in the early 1980s. Its preservation underscores its significance within a niche of Latin American conceptual drawing practices.
Context
Emerging during a time of political unrest in Latin America, Sandoval’s use of medical bandages may resonate with themes of trauma and resilience. The work aligns with broader regional tendencies to repurpose mundane or discarded materials in art, rejecting grand narratives in favor of intimate, tactile expressions of vulnerability and repair.
Legacy
Though Sandoval’s output was limited, this piece remains a rare example of material-driven drawing from the early 1980s that prioritizes texture and found objects over conventional tools. It has influenced later artists exploring the poetic potential of non-art materials, particularly in contexts where the body and its vulnerabilities are central concerns.
Artist & collection
