Artwork
Untitled
Untitled is an ink print by Shirana Shahbazi. It dates from 2014 and is held in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art.
About this work
Overview
Created in 2014 by Shirana Shahbazi, *Untitled* is a lithograph printed on a gelatin silver photographic base.
Created in 2014 by Shirana Shahbazi, *Untitled* is a lithograph printed on a gelatin silver photographic base. The work belongs to The Museum of Modern Art’s collection and reflects Shahbazi’s ongoing investigation into the boundaries between photography, printmaking, and abstraction. By layering print techniques, she disrupts conventional expectations of photographic realism, transforming landscape imagery into structured, non-naturalistic compositions.
Subject & Meaning
The image depicts a mountainous terrain divided into geometric planes of saturated color—yellow, pink, teal, and purple—suggesting a landscape without adhering to naturalistic representation. A central waterfall and jagged cliffs are reduced to abstract forms, their spatial depth erased. The result is a visual puzzle: recognizable elements are rendered alien through color and shape, prompting questions about how images construct meaning and perception.
Technique & Style
Shahbazi combines lithographic printing with gelatin silver photographic material to achieve sharp, clean edges and flat planes of color. The lithographic process allows for precise delineation between sections, while the photographic base introduces subtle tonal variations. This hybrid technique flattens perspective and emphasizes pattern over depth, aligning the work with modernist abstraction and graphic design traditions.
History & Provenance
Produced in 2014, the work entered The Museum of Modern Art’s collection shortly after its creation. Shahbazi, who moved from Iran to Switzerland in childhood, has developed a practice rooted in questioning the authority of photographic representation. Her use of print media in this piece reflects a broader interest in how reproduction alters perception, a theme consistent across her body of work since the early 2000s.
Context
This piece emerges from a period in which contemporary artists were re-examining the materiality of photographic images. Shahbazi’s approach aligns with post-conceptual practices that treat the photograph not as a window to reality but as a constructed object. Her use of unnatural color and geometric fragmentation echoes earlier modernist experiments, while the hybrid medium reflects contemporary interest in cross-disciplinary processes.
Legacy
Shahbazi’s *Untitled* contributes to an evolving discourse on photographic abstraction, influencing how artists consider the role of print processes in reshaping visual language. Its inclusion in MoMA’s collection signals its significance within contemporary printmaking and conceptual photography. The work continues to be referenced in discussions about the material limits of representation and the transformation of landscape imagery in digital and post-digital eras.
Artist & collection
Artist
Shirana Shahbazi (Persian: شیرانا شهبازی; born 1974) is an Iranian-born photographer who now lives in Switzerland. Her work includes installations and large prints of conceptual photography.
