Untitled 1977

This Untitled work was made by Nasreen Mohamedi, using graphite on graph paper. It seems simple enough, but graphite is a fascinating substance. Mined from the earth, it is essentially pure carbon, the stuff of life. Its dark sheen is not unlike coal, the fuel of the industrial revolution. Mohamedi has taken this humble material and used it with extraordinary precision. Look closely, and you can see the countless tiny strokes that she made, building up the image line by line. The pattern emerges through the labor of her hand. The graph paper provides a kind of scaffolding, but also a constraint, that she patiently follows. This interplay between freedom and control is key. Mohamedi’s repetitive mark-making recalls the relentless productivity of industrial labor, while also suggesting the meditative practice of the artisan. The work beautifully transcends the line between the two.