Artwork
Untitled
Untitled is an ink print by Fiona Banner. It dates from 1997 and is held in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art.
About this work
The use of bold, red letters on a blue background creates a striking visual effect, drawing the viewer's attention to the title and author of the book.
The painting features large, red block letters on a blue background. The letters spell out the title of a book, "THE NAM" by Fiona Banner, which has been described as unreadable. The text also mentions that the book has 1000 pages and is available from major bookshops.
The use of bold, red letters on a blue background creates a striking visual effect, drawing the viewer's attention to the title and author of the book. The description of the book as unreadable adds an air of intrigue, suggesting that the book's content may be challenging or thought-provoking.
The painting's use of text and color creates a sense of tension and contrast, highlighting the complexity of the book's themes and ideas. To learn more about the artist's use of text and color, explore the work of Fiona Banner.
Overview
Fiona Banner created this 1997 screenprint as part of her early investigation into how military imagery is mediated through popular culture. The work presents text as a visual object rather than a communicative tool, using stark color contrasts to emphasize the physical presence of language. It is one of several works from this period that blur the boundaries between printed material and fine art.
Subject & Meaning
The print displays the title and author of Banner’s own book, 'THE NAM,' which compiles verbatim transcripts of the 1979 film 'Apocalypse Now.' By isolating the book’s metadata, title, author, and implied availability, the work questions the authority of textual documentation and the illusion of accessibility. The term 'unreadable' suggests the impossibility of fully absorbing the volume’s overwhelming content.
Technique & Style
Banner employed screenprinting to achieve sharp, flat fields of color: bold red letters on a solid blue ground. The technique’s industrial character reinforces the impersonal tone of the subject matter. The typography is uniform and unadorned, rejecting expressive brushwork in favor of mechanical precision, mirroring the sterile repetition found in military and cinematic narratives.
History & Provenance
Created in 1997, this print emerged during Banner’s formative years as an artist, when she began translating cinematic war narratives into physical forms. The work is linked to her broader project of producing 'THE NAM', a 1,000-page typewritten transcription of the film, which was later published and distributed commercially. The screenprint functions as both an advertisement and a critique of that publication.
Context
This piece reflects late-1990s British art’s interest in language, media saturation, and the representation of violence. Banner’s work responds to a cultural moment where war imagery was increasingly filtered through Hollywood, and the line between documentation and spectacle grew indistinct. Her use of text challenges the viewer to consider how meaning is constructed, and obscured, by institutional formats.
Legacy
The screenprint established a precedent for Banner’s ongoing use of textual repetition and military iconography in sculpture and print. It contributed to a broader shift in contemporary art where language itself became a material to be manipulated, rather than a vehicle for clear communication. The work remains referenced in discussions of post-conceptual practices that interrogate media, memory, and militarism.
Artist & collection
Artist
Fiona Banner (born 1966), also known as The Vanity Press, is a British artist. Her work encompasses sculpture, drawing, installation and text, and demonstrates a long-standing fascination with the emblem of fighter…
