Artwork Details
36-1/2 x 117-1/2 in.
Accession NumberContemporary Art Society Fund
Copyright(Pierogi, Inc., Brooklyn, New York); purchased by the Contemporary Art Society for the Indianapolis Museum of Art in 2013.
Kim Jones spent nearly two weeks expanding his preexisting Untitled (War Drawing) onto the gallery walls. This drawing resembles a map; however, the city depicted within is rife with the activity of an ongoing war, which spills out beyond the confines of the original work. The outcome of this conflict is determined by Jones as the drawing unfolds mark by mark, erasure by erasure. "The Xs and dots are fighting each other for the control of the space they live in," Jones explained. "A little like the way we live. They are not simply flat diagrams. They are alive. At least to me."
Jones began creating war drawings as a child. In each drawing the Xs and dots battle according to rules set by the artist. Black tanks are affiliated with the Xs, while the dots’ forces remain white. Missiles are depicted by aggressive straight lines. Small tanks have a shorter range and less destructive impact than the larger "super" tanks. As each tank advances, retreats, or perishes, Jones erases its previous position-but traces of the former markings remain, making it possible to discern how the action may have progressed.
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