Artwork
Untitled
Untitled is an ink print by Anton Kannemeyer. It dates from 2004 and is held in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art.
About this work
The text is in both English and Afrikaans, listing a name, Anton Christoffel Kannemeyer, and an address in Johannesburg.
This is a faded yellow-and-red document with a blurred face in the center. The text is in both English and Afrikaans, listing a name, Anton Christoffel Kannemeyer, and an address in Johannesburg. It looks like an old ID card, with a stamp marking the person as "classified as a white person." The date on the card is 1984.
The red silhouette stands out against the yellow background, making the text harder to read. This piece plays with how official documents can feel cold and impersonal.
Look up Anton Kannemeyer to see how he uses art to challenge history.
Overview
Created in 2004, this screenprint by South African artist Anton Kannemeyer is part of the Museum of Modern Art’s collection. The work presents a faded, yellow‑red document that resembles an identification card, complete with a blurred portrait at its center and bilingual text in English and Afrikaans. A conspicuous red silhouette and a stamp declaring the holder “classified as a white person” dominate the composition, evoking the bureaucratic tone of official paperwork.
Subject & Meaning
The image mimics a 1984 identity card, listing the name Anton Christoffel Kannemeyer and a Johannesburg address, while the stamp foregrounds the racial categorisation imposed by apartheid‑era law. By rendering the face indistinct and the text partially obscured, the piece underscores the dehumanising effect of state documentation, inviting viewers to consider how bureaucratic forms reduce individuals to classified data.
Technique & Style
Executed as a screenprint, the work employs a limited palette of muted yellows, reds, and whites, allowing the stark silhouette to stand out against the background. The printing process creates a slightly blurred, weathered appearance that simulates the wear of an old official paper, reinforcing the sense of institutional coldness while retaining a graphic clarity typical of Kannemeyer’s satirical visual language.
History & Provenance
The print was produced in 2004 and subsequently acquired by the Museum of Modern Art, where it remains in the permanent collection. Its inclusion in MoMA reflects the institution’s interest in contemporary works that interrogate sociopolitical histories through graphic media.
Context
Kannemeyer’s practice frequently engages South African history, using humor and irony to critique colonial and apartheid legacies. This work aligns with his broader oeuvre, which often appropriates official forms, such as passports, IDs, and signage, to expose the lingering impact of racial classification and to question the authority of state‑issued identities.
Artist & collection
Artist
Anton Kannemeyer is a South African comics artist, who sometimes goes by the pseudonym Joe Dog. Kannemeyer has lectured the University of Pretoria, Technikon Witwatersrand, and was also a senior lecturer at the University of Stellenbosch.
