Hank Thomas
About
Hank Willis Thomas is a photo conceptual artist working primarily with themes related to identity, history and popular culture. He received a BFA in Photography and Africana studies from New York University and his MFA/MA in Photography and Visual Criticism from the California College of Arts. Thomas’ monograph, Pitch Blackness, was published by Aperture in 2008. His work is in numerous public collections including The Museum of Modern Art New York, The Guggenheim Museum, The Whitney Museum of American Art, The Brooklyn Museum, The High Museum of Art and the Museum of Fine Arts Houston. Recent notable exhibitions include Hank Willis Thomas at the Cleveland Museum of Art, Strange Fruit at the Corcoran Gallery of Art, Picture Windows: Hank Willis Thomas in collaboration with Sanford Biggers at the International Center for Photography, and the Istanbul Biennial. His 2014 The Power of Words interactive project is titled Truth Booth.
Truth Booth
In Search of the Truth (Truth Booth) is an installation comprised of a touring, portable, inflatable "Truth Booth" that embarked on a world tour at the Galway Arts Festival, Ireland in 2011. The project was created by artists Hank Willis Thomas, Ryan Alexiev, and Jim Ricks of the Cause Collective. The exterior is ironically shaped like a giant cartoon speech bubble with the word "TRUTH" boldly printed on the side. The interior acts much like a photo booth, but serves to compile no longer than two minute video responses from the public. Once seated inside people are invited to record their opinions and thoughts as they finish the statement: “The truth is...”. Throughout this long-term
project the video footage will be compiled and edited into a video artwork. To expand and engage with audiences, movements of the Truth Booth and sample responses will be tracked, edited, and categorized on a website.
Mandela quote: "The truth is that we are not yet free; we have merely achieved the freedom to be free, the right not to be oppressed."
Question Bridge: Black Males
Question Bridge is an innovative transmedia art project that creates a platform to represent and redefine black male identity in America.