The Cincinnati Art Museum's multimedia mid-career survey of artist Hank Willis Thomas is on display now through Nov. 8.
Hank Willis Thomas: All Things Being Equal... features two decades' worth of Thomas' work exploring how "the visual languages of popular culture, advertising and media shape society and individual perspective, structuring and trading upon notions of race and gender," says the CAM.
The 90 works in the exhibit, organized by the Portland Art Museum, span from photography and sculpture to video and include textile pieces that reclaim prison uniforms and athletic jerseys, neon signs with message about race, lifelike sculptures that range from bronzeworks to colorful silicone and fiberglass and more.
Thomas' work turns a critical eye to social justice and how race plays into advertising and pop culture, making this an imperative exhibit to view in the context of the current swell and fight against systemic racism.
“Hank Willis Thomas' work guides us to the meeting points of art, politics, commerce and justice while affirming human joy and the role of art in grasping our shared humanity,” says Nathaniel Stein, the CAM's Associate Curator of Photography. “There is no more important artist for us to pay attention to today, and none with whom the museum and our community partners could be more honored to grapple with history, rise to the present, and imagine a possible future."
The exhibit is free for members; tickets are available online and cost $10 for non-member adults and $5 for non-member students, seniors and children.
The Cincinnati Art Museum is located at 953 Eden Park Drive, Eden Park.
Photos by Hailey Bollinger
