Hank Willis Thomas

Ernest and Ruth (Exuberant Pink)

August 2022 - August 2024

Hank Willis Thomas (b. 1976) is a conceptual artist whose work explores ideas of identity and culture. Through the presentation of recognizable symbols, such as those from popular culture and advertising, his work calls into question typecasts of race and gender present within these societal spheres. Thomas’ work is often participatory, compelling introspection through interaction.

Ernest and Ruth (Exuberant Pink) is one of Thomas’ speech bubble sculptures that also functions as a bench. The artwork can be both a meeting place for conversation and for personal and shared reflection. As noted by the artist, “When viewers occupy the piece, they are encouraged to contemplate what it means to inhabit their own speech and beliefs.”

ABOUT THE ARTIST

Hank Willis Thomas

Thomas holds a B.F.A. from New York University, New York, NY (1998) and an M.A./M.F.A. from the California College of the Arts, San Francisco, CA (2004). He received honorary doctorates from the Maryland Institute of Art, Baltimore, MD and the Institute for Doctoral Studies in the Visual Arts, Portland, ME in 2017.

His work has been exhibited throughout the United States and abroad, and is included in numerous public collections including the Museum of Modern Art, New York, NY; Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York, NY; Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, NY; Brooklyn Museum, New York, NY; High Museum of Art, Atlanta, GA, and the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.