Hank Willis Thomas often incorporates recognizable icons into his work, many from well-known advertising and branding campaigns. Thomas sees cultural disconnects everywhere in day-to-day living, particularly as they relate to race—which he understands to be a figment of our imagination.
In a 2013 New York Times review, Holland Cotter writes: “[Hank] has been particularly astute in examining the workings of what W. E. B. Du Bois called double consciousness, the condition in which people see themselves reflected, often negatively, in the view of others and end up molding their lives to confirm that view.” In this way, his work has gone beyond simply making art to examining and exposing deeper divides in our culture.
During this evening conversation, Thomas, curator Christine Eyene, and Open Society Foundations president Patrick Gaspard review the artist’s work in light of evolving political contexts.
Speakers
-
Patrick Gaspard
Speaker
Until December 2020, Patrick Gaspard was president of the Open Society Foundations.
-
Hank Willis Thomas
Speaker
Hank Willis Thomas is a conceptual artist whose work is included in numerous public collections including the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, and the Whitney Museum of American Art. He is a 2017 recipient of the Soros Equality Fellowship.
-
Christine Eyene
Speaker
Christine Eyene is an art historian, critic, and curator. She is a research fellow in contemporary art at the University of Central Lancashire.
Read more
Art for Healing In Depth
Land, Memory, and the Power of Art
How can communities use art to imagine a better tomorrow that protects and celebrates nature—and the people that live within it? The 2023 Soros Arts Fellows will pursue projects that reckon with the role of socially engaged art in a time of crisis.
Art and Activism
Reimagining January 6th
The insurrection at the U.S. Capitol left him in a cold sweat. Creating a comic book seemed like one way to reach people not obsessively following the news and spark activism to help defend a multicultural democracy.
Inside Open Society
How Expression Inspires Change
Independent media. Cultural producers. Artists. Collectively, these vital forces expose abuses, promote accountability, and fire our dreams of a better world. How Open Society’s Expression team challenges the status quo.