Artist Lecture #2: Hank Willis Thomas

©Hank Willis Thomas
"Branded Head"
2003
Branded Series

I really enjoyed the lecture given yesterday by Hank Willis Thomas. After viewing some of his work online before the lecture I wasn't completely sold but hearing him speak allowed me to view his work in a whole different way. I appreciate his desire to use his work to bring about change by effecting one's subconscious. He described this by saying that he was "using the language of advertising to comment on things that advertising never could." In a world where advertising is such a part of our daily lives and brand names and logos are as recognizable as religious symbols, he is very clever to use that language as his platform for change. He was an excellent speaker, thoughtful and intelligent while still being humorous. I appreciated that he started with his early work and brought us through to the more recent things. It is always interesting to see the evolution of someone's ideas and the incarnation they take over time. My favorite part of the lecture was when he was speaking about the images in which he had people hold frames out in public places. The last image from that series was the one with his mother holding the frame inside the restaurant and the girl outside looking right through the frame to the camera. He said that that image was his favorite and did everything that he had wanted for the images in that series to do. He explained how it had been a complete matter of chance that all of the elements had lined up that way in that moment. It allowed me to consider how much chance really is involved in photography. A painter is in complete control of every element of his art while as a photographer, I am very dependent on so many outside forces to come together in an instant to make a beautiful or meaningful image. And while excessive shooting is not to be placed above a well-planned, thought out shot, there is something to be said for simply allowing a moment to present itself and clicking the shutter at the right moment to capture it. I also love that he works in collaboration with other artists on a regular basis. I think so often art can become such a thing of seclusion and it is almost impossible to grow when one lives and works in an insular manor. During the question and answer section of the lecture someone commented on this fact and Willis Thomas said that it allows him to "think beyond himself." As I progress in my art making, I plan to make it a priority to think beyond myself by becoming involved in collaborative works.