Noose Around Your Neck (Country Cityscapes series)
- Artist: Edward Ruscha
- Date: 2001
- Medium: Photogravure with silkscreened text
- Dimensions: unconfirmed: 457 x 356 mm
- Museum: Tate Modern
- Collection record: Tate Modern website
Listen to the free audio guide
About this artwork
This is the "Noose Around Your Neck" by Edward Ruscha. Created in 2001, this photogravure with silkscreened text is part of his Country Cityscapes series. The image shows a calm North American landscape, but Ruscha layers it with bold blocks of black text that cover the view. The titles come from old‑west film catch‑phrases—think “Be careful…you hear me?” or “Its payback time”—turned into threats aimed at the viewer. By blanking out the words, he turns a serene landscape into a site of disruption, playing with the idea of advertising and the promise of a tourist postcard. The effect is an unexpected dialogue between image, text and the eye, making you question what you’re looking at and why.
See it in person
Noose Around Your Neck (Country Cityscapes series) is in the collection of Tate Modern on Bankside, London — free to enter. Point your phone at any artwork there and audioguide.london plays a free audio guide in six languages — no app download needed.
