Card Index: Filing Cabinet, Part 2 1975

Hanne Darboven created "Card Index: Filing Cabinet, Part 2" using various materials organized within wooden frames. The immediate impression is one of a grid, a field of repetitive units that invites a contemplative gaze. The muted yellow tones and uniform structure create a subdued, almost meditative visual experience. Darboven's systematic approach can be interpreted through the lens of structuralism, where the grid acts as an underlying structure. Each card could be seen as a signifier. The work challenges the traditional art object, operating more like a system or a language. This challenges fixed meanings and ventures into new ways of thinking about representation. The repetitive nature of the work is perhaps its most striking formal quality, reflecting a conceptual engagement with time, memory, and systems of organization. This compels us to reconsider art’s role in the modern world.