Untitled 

Editor: Here we have an untitled ink and graphite drawing by Ulfert Wilke. The composition is fascinating; it looks like abstract calligraphy, a language I can’t quite decipher. What strikes you about this piece? Curator: What I see is the labor embedded in each stroke. The gestural marks of ink and graphite, repeated and layered, speak to a deliberate process. Consider the materials themselves: ink, historically tied to communication and record-keeping, and graphite, the stuff of sketches and drafts. Wilke elevates these quotidian materials, pushing them beyond their functional roles. Editor: So you're saying the value comes from the act of creation, rather than a message it conveys? Curator: Precisely. The process of mark-making becomes the subject itself. This piece challenges the traditional hierarchy placing painting above drawing, fine art above calligraphy. The materiality directs our attention to the means of production. We should consider how Wilke’s practice reflects broader shifts in artistic production after World War II, toward process and the ephemeral. It becomes about deconstructing the art object as precious commodity, and more the performative aspect of its creation. Editor: That’s really interesting. I was so focused on trying to decode some kind of meaning within it, I didn't really stop to think about it in terms of labor and value. Curator: It forces us to reconsider value. Not what the object represents, but what it *is*, and how it came to be. The act of meticulous, repetitive mark-making in itself proposes a certain dedication that could only derive from the artist's lived and practical understanding. Editor: I’ll definitely look at abstract work differently from now on. Thank you. Curator: My pleasure. Seeing art through the lens of materials and production can unlock a whole new world of meaning.