Grey Space (distractor)

Brightly colored geometric forms float across this canvas and suggest dynamic motion while heightening the illusion of deep space. Julie Mehretu produced such effects of constant activity and endless expansion by applying multiple layers of ink and acrylic pigment. The artist mined and reimagined imagery from maps, diagrams, architectural blueprints, and corporate logos. The result is a visual collision of bold colors and detailed linear arrangements that resist easy legibility and, implicitly, wider societal systems of power and oppression. The meanings in Mehretu’s work nonetheless remain open ended. In a 2020 interview, she stated, “Opacity and abstraction are at the core of my practice . . . One should never feel the need to translate, or explain who and how one is for anyone else.”