Universal Declaration # 1–24
2012
Works
Universal Declaration #1–24, 2012–
Series of drawings in the 24 official languages of the European Union, ink on paper
Each 29.7 × 21 cm
The entire Universal Declaration of Human Rights, in each of the 24 official languages of the European Union, was hand-copied with a fountain pen in the form of a crossed letter, a method commonly used in the 19th century to save on then-costly paper and postage. As the artist rotated the paper in repeated 90-degree turns, the lines of text overlapped and gradually disappeared, becoming illegible and forming a geometric grid that evokes barbed wire.