Artwork
Untitled
Untitled is an ink print by Harmony Hammond. It dates from 2009 and is held in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art.
About this work
Overview
Its restrained composition and layered techniques position it within her broader exploration of form, texture, and abstraction.
Created in 2009, this digital print with lithograph is one of nineteen works in a portfolio by Harmony Hammond. The piece integrates multiple printmaking methods, including digital processes and traditional lithography, reflecting Hammond’s sustained interest in the material possibilities of print media. Its restrained composition and layered techniques position it within her broader exploration of form, texture, and abstraction.
Subject & Meaning
The work presents a stark division between dark gray and black horizontal bands, separated by a narrow red line. The square format, centered on a white field with irregularly torn edges, evokes architectural or spatial boundaries without referencing specific imagery. The title 'Untitled' invites open interpretation, aligning with Hammond’s tendency to prioritize formal inquiry over narrative content, while subtly referencing the politics of visibility and erasure.
Technique & Style
Hammond combined digital printing with lithographic ink to achieve subtle tonal variations and surface texture. The torn white border introduces a handmade quality, contrasting with the precision of the printed bands. The red line, thin yet insistent, functions as both a formal divider and a tactile marker. This hybrid approach reflects her commitment to expanding printmaking’s boundaries through material experimentation and layered processes.
History & Provenance
The portfolio was acquired by The Museum of Modern Art, affirming its significance within contemporary print practice. Created nearly four decades after Hammond’s early feminist art activism, the work continues her engagement with abstraction as a vehicle for political and personal expression. Its inclusion in MoMA’s collection situates it within institutional recognition of feminist and queer artists’ contributions to post-1970s print media.
Context
Emerging from the 1970s New York feminist art scene, Hammond consistently challenged traditional hierarchies in art through her multidisciplinary practice. This 2009 work emerges from a period of renewed interest in abstraction among artists revisiting feminist and queer histories. The portfolio’s mixed-media approach reflects a broader trend in contemporary printmaking that values process, materiality, and conceptual depth over conventional representation.
Legacy
Hammond’s work in this portfolio contributes to an expanded understanding of print as a medium capable of carrying complex political and aesthetic inquiries. By blending digital and analog techniques, she bridges generational approaches to art-making. Her sustained practice, spanning activism, writing, and visual production, continues to influence artists exploring identity, form, and the politics of materiality in contemporary art.
Artist & collection
Artist
Harmony Hammond (born February 8, 1944) is an American artist, activist, curator, and writer. She was a prominent figure in the founding of the feminist art movement in 1970s New York.
