Conceptual art that shows anything possible when motivated by love
For Hank Willis Thomas, art is a means to visualise a message. As the co-founder of For Freedoms, Thomas is widely known for his boundary-pushing public art projects and collaborative approach. Black history and social activism soak into many different mediums in his work, including sculpture, photography, appliqué, film and installation. Growing up as part of the “MTV generation” and as the son of photographer and art historian Deborah Willis, Thomas mixes pop culture references with archive research. Whatever the concept needs is the form the art will take. In Thomas’s own words: “I care mor...
Bio
Hank Willis Thomas is a conceptual artist born in 1976 in Plainfield, New Jersey. He now lives and works in Brooklyn, New York.
Education
Thomas has delivered hundreds of talks and lectures around the world, educating others on his work, exploring Black progress in the 21st century and spotlighting overlooked historical narratives.
For Freedoms
Thomas also co-founded trailblazing artist-run collective For Freedoms, renowned for billboard campaigns and public artworks designed to increase political engagement and prompt widespread civic conversations.