Artwork
Untitled
Untitled is an ink print by Toba Khedoori. It dates from 2022 and is held in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art.
About this work
Overview
Created in 2022, this etching with chine collé by Toba Khedoori is part of The Museum of Modern Art’s collection. The work is a finely detailed print on a pale ground, composed entirely of intricate, overlapping lines. Khedoori employs traditional printmaking methods to generate a surface that feels both deliberate and spontaneous, balancing precision with a sense of quiet accumulation.
Subject & Meaning
The image resists clear representation, offering no figures or recognizable forms. Instead, it presents a dense field of linear marks that suggest organic growth, weathering, or coded writing. The absence of narrative invites contemplation of texture and rhythm, evoking the passage of time or the persistence of memory through repetition and layering.
Technique & Style
Khedoori uses etching to incise fine lines into a metal plate, then prints them onto paper with chine collé, a method that bonds thin paper to a heavier support for added delicacy. The lines vary subtly in weight and curvature, created through repeated, controlled scratching. The resulting grayscale field has a tactile, almost drawn quality despite its mechanical origin.
History & Provenance
Toba Khedoori, born in Australia in 1964 to an Iraqi-Jewish family, relocated to the United States in 1988 and has since worked primarily in Los Angeles. This 2022 print entered MoMA’s collection shortly after its creation, reflecting the institution’s ongoing engagement with contemporary printmaking and artists who expand the boundaries of the medium.
Context
Khedoori’s work aligns with a broader trend in contemporary art that prioritizes process and materiality over representation. Her use of etching—historically associated with reproduction—subverts expectations by creating works that feel intensely personal and resistant to easy interpretation, echoing themes of displacement and cultural memory.
Legacy
This piece contributes to Khedoori’s sustained exploration of mark-making as a means of emotional and psychological resonance. By elevating the quiet labor of drawing into print, she influences younger artists working in non-narrative abstraction and redefines the potential of printmaking as a vehicle for introspective expression.
Artist & collection
Artist
Toba Khedoori (Arabic: توبا خضوري; born 1964) is an Australian-born artist, of Iraqi–Jewish heritage.
