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 more about ideas than medium”. His most cherished idea? Love. For Thomas, love is a form of social liberation – offering a radical tool for learning, healing and hope.