Hank Willis Thomas

Hank Willis Thomas is a conceptual artist whose practice spans sculpture, screen-printing, neon, mixed media, and installation art.

Biography of Hank Willis Thomas

Hank Willis Thomas was born in 1976 in Plainfield, New Jersey. He earned a BFA from New York University in 1998 and an MA/MFA from the California College of the Arts in 2004. Thomas has received honorary doctorates from the Maryland Institute of Art and the Institute for Doctoral Studies in the Visual Arts. 

His collaborative projects, including "Question Bridge: Black Males" and "In Search Of The Truth (The Truth Booth)," have garnered significant recognition. The work "For Freedoms" won the 2017 ICP Infinity Award for New Media and Online Platform.

Thomas's work has been exhibited extensively in the United States and internationally. Recent solo shows include "LOVERULES - From the Collections of Jordan D. Schnitzer and His Family Foundation" at Henry Art Gallery in Seattle (2024), "Hank Willis Thomas: I've Known Rivers" at Pace Gallery in Los Angeles (2023), "Everybody Used To Say, Oh, I Got It All From Matisse, And I Said, 'Not Really." at Ben Brown Fine Arts in Palm Beach (2022), "Everything We See Hides Another Thing" at Jack Shainman Gallery in New York (2022), and many more.

He lives and works in Brooklyn, New York.

Hank Willis Thomas's Art Style

Hank Willis Thomas is renowned for his conceptual art that explores themes of mass media, identity, popular culture, and perspective. Utilizing recognizable icons from branding and marketing campaigns, Thomas encourages viewers to question commercial consumer representation and the racial stereotypes it perpetuates. His practice, akin to a "visual cultural archaeologist," examines how popular imagery shapes perceptions.

Thomas's seminal series, "Unbranded" (2005–08), explores the intersection of race, class, media, and popular culture by digitally removing text and logos from historical advertisements, exposing the underlying prejudices in advertising.