Idea Post/Visiting Artist Lecture: Hank Willis Thomas 2-16-10

Hank Willis Thomas

Willis Thompson describes his work as an examination of "off whiteness or pitch blackness" inspired predominantly by the murder of his cousin and advertising. He views "logos as our (Western Culture) generation's hieroglyphs" responsible for the documentation of our unfolding history of consumerism, language, and class as well as segregation and racism's permeation into our product dependency. His work uses the "language of advertising to talk about things advertising could never talk about."

With the death of his cousin, Willis Thompson produced "Winter in America" as a commentary on Western Culture's desensitization to violence starting in childhood. He became intrigued by the power objects have over people in similar ways to his cousin's murder. People were "getting killed over air jordans, triple down coats, gold chains, [etc]. Their lives are being equated to these objects."

Hank Willis Thompson continues to be inspired by his cousin, mother (also a photographer), and advertising. "We see so many ads in a day." He urges audiences to think critically about the images put in front of them by advertising companies and the power they may have over our culture.