Hank Willis Thomas talk & book signing

Hank Willis Thomas, one of today's most compelling emerging artists, will give a talk and book signing at the Strand Bookstore coinciding with the recent release of his groundbreaking monograph "Pitch Blackness" (Aperture). And that’s not all! Two days later, Thomas’s highly anticipated exhibition of new work will open at the Jack Shainman Gallery, New York. With his characteristic sharpness and dark humor, Pitch Blackness raises complex questions about identity and race in America. Hank Willis Thomas first gained wide recognition for his highly provocative series BDANDED, which addresses how commercial branding in America is geared toward specific racial groups and raises questions about visual culture, the power of logos, and media representation of African Americans. Other series include Winter In America, a collaborative work with Kambui Olujimi, focusing on the epidemic of black on black violence in America, and his most recent body of work, “Unbranded: Reflections in Black by Corporate America,” where the artist appropriates magazine advertisements that are marketed to an African American audience or feature black subjects, and strips away all the logos and text, leaving the image to speak for itself. The Thomas event at The Strand also coincides with an on-going photography contest, entitled Eye on the Strand, co-hosted by the Strand Bookstore, Aperture and Pratt Institute, open to all to submit pictures of the legendary Strand bookstore.