Ian Hamilton Finlay’s work on paper typically combines poetry and design, and often features phrases with historical or political undertones. This image is from the ‘Travaux Publics’ (Public Works) portfolio, which explores different ways of using text and language in art. Each artist made a proposal for a work which was shown in a public space as well as being reproduced in the portfolio. When this work was displayed at the Van Abbemuseum in the Netherlands, the words were written on the gallery wall with neon light-tubes.