Dimensions: support: 1095 x 1497 mm
Copyright: © The estate of Juan Muñoz | CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 DEED, Photo: Tate
Editor: Here we have Juan Muñoz's "Raincoat Drawing," from an unknown date, held at the Tate. I’m struck by how stark and empty the room feels, almost like a stage set. What do you make of its depiction of domestic space? Curator: It's fascinating to consider Muñoz's choices in materials and process. The stark contrast of the white chalk or crayon on what appears to be dark paper challenges the traditional notion of drawing as preparatory. How does this emphasis on materiality and the labor of creating the image influence our reading of the "domestic space" depicted? Editor: I see what you mean! It's less about the room itself and more about the act of rendering it. Curator: Precisely. Muñoz elevates the process of drawing, making us consider the physicality of the artwork itself. Editor: That's a really interesting point; I hadn't considered that before. Curator: It prompts a deeper understanding of art's relationship to labor and materiality.
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This belongs to a series of around forty drawings of empty rooms containing a simple arrangement of furniture. Each one was made using white chalk on a black surface, which suggests the fabric used to make raincoats. The drawings resemble stage sets, with a dramatic quality that relates them to Muñoz’s sculptures. ‘If the drawings succeed in conveying an emotion, it’s because they might give the sense that something has happened or is going to happen’, he said. ‘Either you’re too early or too late. It's always the wrong moment.’ Gallery label, July 2008