Fred Wilson: Objects and Installations, 1979-2000: Issues in Cultural Theory, No. 4

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1890761044 ISBN 13: 9781890761042

Publisher: Center for Art and Visual Culture, UMBC, 2002

If social justice is Fred Wilson's subject, the museum is his medium. By placing meticulously rendered objects in environments that carefully recreate the details of a museum setting, down to their wall colors, lighting, display cases and wall labels, Wilson incisively explores the question of how the museum consciously and unconsciously perpetuates racist beliefs and behavior. From Egyptian and classical Greek and Roman sculpture to African-American memorabilia, from the primativist painting of Picasso to the uniforms worn by often black museum guards, Wilson's provocative juxtapositions speak to a complex history of museological omission, manipulation and oversight. This book marks the artist's first mid-career survey.

About the Author:

Maurice Berger is Research Professor and Chief Curator at the Center for Art, Design and Visual Culture, University of Maryland, Baltimore County and Consulting Curator at the Jewish Museum in New York. Berger's essay series, Race Stories, "a continuing exploration of the relationship of race to photographic portrayals of race," appears monthly on the Lens Blog of the New York Times.