Artwork
Untitled
Untitled is an ink print by Walid Raad. It dates from 2013 and is held in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art.
About this work
Overview
Untitled, created in 2013, consists of a series of nine photoengravings, each presenting an unadorned white rectangle that resembles a solitary sheet of paper.
Untitled, created in 2013, consists of a series of nine photoengravings, each presenting an unadorned white rectangle that resembles a solitary sheet of paper. The work forms part of Walid Raad’s ongoing investigation into Lebanon’s recent history, produced under the name of the fictitious collective known as The Atlas Group. Though visually minimal, the pieces function as a conceptual entry point into the artist’s broader archival practice.
Subject & Meaning
The stark white fields invite viewers to contemplate absence and the limits of representation. By offering an image that contains no discernible content, Raad foregrounds questions about what is omitted from historical records and how silence can serve as a form of commentary on collective memory, particularly regarding the complexities of Lebanese experience.
Technique & Style
Each print is a photoengraving, a process that transfers a photographic image onto a metal plate before etching it to produce a print. In this case, the technique is employed to render a completely blank surface, emphasizing the materiality of the medium while subverting expectations of visual detail that the process typically yields.
History & Provenance
Walid Raad, born in 1967 in the Lebanese town of Chbanieh, developed the Atlas Group as a fictional research entity to explore narrative construction. Untitled emerged from this framework, aligning with his practice of producing works that blur the line between fact and fiction. The portfolio has been exhibited in several contemporary art institutions since its inception.
Context
The work appears within a larger body of Raad’s projects that combine film, photography, installations, and performance to interrogate Lebanon’s post‑civil‑war period. By employing archival strategies and layered storytelling, the artist situates Untitled amid ongoing debates about historiography, memory, and the role of the artist as both documentarian and myth‑maker.
Artist & collection
Artist
Walid Raad (Ra'ad) (Arabic: وليد رعد) (born 1967 in Chbanieh, Lebanon) is a contemporary media artist.
