Artwork
Untitled
Untitled is a print by Ewa Partum. It dates from 1976 and is held in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art.
About this work
Overview
Created in 1976, this letterpress work by Polish conceptual artist Ewa Partum is part of the Museum of Modern Art’s collection.
Created in 1976, this letterpress work by Polish conceptual artist Ewa Partum is part of the Museum of Modern Art’s collection. The piece consists of a black‑and‑white photographic image of a woman’s face adhered to paper, surrounded by bilingual text that reads “my problem is a problem of a woman” in Polish and English. The paper’s torn edges and rough texture give the work a tactile, fragmented quality.
Subject & Meaning
The juxtaposition of the female portrait with the declarative statement foregrounds concerns specific to women’s experience, suggesting a personal or collective grievance. By presenting the text in both the artist’s native language and English, the work expands its reach beyond a single linguistic audience, emphasizing the universality of the issue while retaining a distinctly feminist perspective.
Technique & Style
Partum employs a combination of letterpress printing and collage. The photographic cut‑out, reminiscent of magazine or newspaper imagery, is physically attached to the printed surface, while the surrounding text is reproduced through traditional press methods. The torn margins and uneven paper surface reinforce a handmade aesthetic that contrasts with the mechanical precision of the press.
History & Provenance
The work was produced during a period when Partum was actively exploring poetry, performance, mail art, and other conceptual practices. Since its creation, the piece has entered the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art, where it is documented as an example of her interdisciplinary approach to feminist concerns in the 1970s.
Artist & collection
Artist
Ewa Partum (born 1945, Grodzisk Mazowiecki near Warsaw, Poland) is a poetry artist, performance artist, filmmaker, mail artist, and conceptual artist.
