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Hank Willis Thomas Examines Race And Popular Culture Through Art And Photography

WUNC News | By Frank Stasio,
Charlie Shelton
Published November 3, 2016 at 12:15 PM EDT

Host Frank Stasio speaks with artist Hank Willis Thomas.

For Hank Willis Thomas, a good photograph is an image that sticks with somebody long after they first see it. As a photographer and conceptual artist, Thomas uses images to critique cultural perceptions about race, gender and class. 

His Unbranded series removes text from advertisements as way to examine generalizations about black identity and femininity, and his interactive installation Black Righteous Space pairs the colors of the Pan-African flag with the symbolism of the Confederate flag.

Host Frank Stasio talks with Thomas about the message and motivations behind his art. Thomas speaks at 7 p.m. tonight at the Nasher Museum of Art in Durham. ​

People can speak into the microphone to change the color of the shape of the flag in 'Black Righteous Space'
Hank Willis Thomas /
People can speak into the microphone to change the color of the shape of the flag in 'Black Righteous Space'

Copyright 2016 North Carolina Public Radio
Frank Stasio
Longtime NPR correspondent Frank Stasio was named permanent host of The State of Things in June 2006. A native of Buffalo, Frank has been in radio since the age of 19. He began his public radio career at WOI in Ames, Iowa, where he was a magazine show anchor and the station's News Director.
See stories by Frank Stasio
Charlie Shelton