Presented together with a red arrow, the phrase “BATTERED UNTIL FORMED” appears in this text-based work by Lawrence Weiner, an American artist who remained at the forefront of contemporary art from the 1960s onward as one of the leading figures of Conceptual Art.

The word “battered” means beaten, broken, or worn and damaged, possibly to the point of losing its original form. At first glance, this appears to contradict “until formed,” meaning until something takes shape or assumes a form. Weiner’s question—what kind of form might emerge after something has been broken and battered—may perhaps be interpreted as an allusion to the turbulent state of the world today and to a certain sense of hope that may lie beyond it. Until his death in 2021, Weiner maintained a lively interest in society and in the people who live within it. He was also an artist who consistently held an affirmative view of human existence. This work clearly conveys Weiner’s distinctive ability to elevate social criticism and poetic expression through humanism.

By combining words with one another, Weiner gave visual form, through color and shape, to the relationships between the logic underpinning various “worldviews” and the ethics and cultures that form the background to that logic. In doing so, he encouraged viewers to confront anew the world surrounding them. Weiner referred to his own works as “information” and sought to carry the viewer’s field of vision farther and deeper. For him, typography was a simple yet richly suggestive means of expression, one that encouraged multiple interpretations and imaginative leaps on the part of the viewer.