Fred Wilson

Fred Wilson is a conceptual artist whose work explores the relationship between museums, works of art, and collections of other kinds. His work challenges assumptions of history, culture, race, and conventions of display. By reframing objects and cultural symbols, he alters traditional interpretations, encouraging viewers to reconsider social and historical narratives. Since his groundbreaking and historically significant exhibition Mining the Museum (1992) at the Maryland Historical Society, Wilson has been the subject of many solo exhibitions. He represented the United States at the Cairo Biennale (1992) with an installation titled Re: Claiming Egypt. In 2003, he represented the United States at the 50th Venice Biennale with the solo exhibition Speak of Me as I Am, a mixed-media installation of many parts, focusing on Africans in Venice. His many accolades include a MacArthur Fellow (1999); the Luce Distinguished Visiting Fellow in Object, Exhibition, and Knowledge at Skidmore College (2003-06); the Skowhegan Medal for Sculpture (2006); and a Lifetime Achievement Award from Howard University. He is a trustee of the Whitney Museum of American Art and the American Academy in Rome.