Untitled
- Artist: Jeram Patel
- Date: c.1963
- Medium: Enamel paint on wood
- Dimensions: object: 710 x 710 x 57 mm
- Museum: Tate Modern
- Collection record: Tate Modern website
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About this artwork
This is the “Untitled” by Jeram Patel, created around 1963. The piece is a square panel of laminated plywood, about 71 cm on each side, that the artist set aflame with a blowtorch. The result is a series of perfectly round, burnt holes that pierce the surface, their edges scorched black and the surrounding wood charred to a deep, almost matte ebony. Between the apertures Patel carved fine lines, exposing the lighter grain of the wood beneath, giving the panel a layered, almost sculptural texture.
Patel was fascinated by how the material changed when he destroyed it. He famously said, “By burning wood I am making an attack on it…nobody can create anything, the only thing that one can do is destroy things.” In this work, the absence of colour and representation forces the viewer to confront the physicality of the burned wood itself, turning destruction into a new kind of image.
See it in person
Untitled 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.
