#fred wilson

Fred Wilson, Grey Area (Brown Version), 1993 brooklynmuseum

A recent article announced that archaeologists think they found Nefertiti’s tomb which reminded me of a contemporary work of art I had seen at the Brooklyn Museum. Artist Fred Wilson’s work is relevant to us today on so many levels.

“ Fred Wilson often appropriates art objects to explore issues of race, gender, class, politics, and aesthetics. Made up of the portrait heads of the Egyptian queen Nefertiti, Grey Area (Brown Version) refers to one of the most copied works of ancient civilization. The otherwise identical plaster effigies, which he purchased and painted, illustrate a value scale ranging in color from oatmeal to dark chocolate. Thus, Wilson raises, but does not answer, controversial questions about the racial identity of ancient Egyptians.

In both his provocative, groundbreaking installations in cultural institutions and in his studio work, Wilson encourages viewers to recognize how changes in context create changes in meaning. He has said of his practice, “I use beauty as a way of helping people to receive difficult or upsetting ideas. The topical issues are merely a vehicle for making one aware of one’s own perceptual shift -which is the real thrill.” - Gallery Label

This week our Sunday Object Talk will be given by education and public programs assistant Hannah Tishkoff (OC ‘18). She will speak about Fred Wilson’s “LIBERATION” from 2012, a recent acquisition to the AMAM collection. This work combines Wilson’s ongoing engagement with flag imagery with his signature blown glass forms. This work is currently on view in the exhibition Black to the Powers of Ten. Talk begins at 2pm.

Offered most Sundays during the academic year, these talks are orientated specifically towards the casual visitor to the AMAM. Each talk focuses on one work in the collection or on view in a current exhibition, and lasts approximately fifteen minutes plus questions. Conducted by an Oberlin College student docent, these talks are a fantastic opportunity to learn about new objects or revisit old ‘friends’ from the collection.

Each student-led talk focuses on a work in one of the galleries, including some of the most famous in the AMAM collection. Fall semester talks begin on September 11 and run through December 4 (except for October 16 and 23, and November 27).

Image:
Fred Wilson (American, b. 1954)
LIBERATION, 2012
Acrylic on canvas, blown glass
Gift of the artist and Pace Gallery, Douglas Baxter (OC ‘72), President, and Ruth C. Roush Contemporary Art Fund

This Thursday: Opening reception for fall exhibitions focusing on this year’s thematic concept of ‘Time.’ Artist Fred Wilson will be on hand for informal discussion about about his AMAM installation “Wildfire Test Pit,” as well as his works in the Ellen Johnson Gallery exhibition “Black to the Powers of Ten.” His acclaimed museum 'interventions’ often expose biases embedded within the history of art and material culture.

Other fall exhibitions include: “Piet Mondrian: Realism and Abstraction,” “Conversations: Past and Present in Asia and America,” which connects art that would otherwise be divided by temporal and cultural boundaries; “Time Well Spent: Art and Temporality,” which uses art from various time periods and mediums to examine how we define and perceive the idea of time; “Marking Time: Seasonal Imagery in Japanese Prints,” an installation highlighting the rich tradition of Japanese art and literature that evokes and represents seasonal change; “(Anti) Corporeality: Reclaiming and Re-presenting the Black Body,” featuring works by five contemporary artists that counter the dim history of pro-slavery ideologies; and an installation of two recently acquired works by the contemporary African artists El Anatsui and Malangatana Valente Ngwenya.

All museum galleries will be open for you to revisit old favorites, explore the new installations, discover new works, listen to our audio tours, or browse through our exhibition catalogs. AMAM staff and student docents will be on hand to answer questions and chat with you about the museum’s holdings.