A Martyr to End Man's Inhumanity (red and gold reflection)
2018
A Martyr to End Man's Inhumanity (red and gold reflection) is a 2018 screenprint by Hank Willis Thomas rendered on retroreflective vinyl and mounted on Dibond. The work employs the artist's signature use of reflective materials to engage the viewer in an active, shifting relationship with the image, as the surface changes appearance depending on light and perspective. Thomas uses this dynamic quality to underscore themes of visibility, sacrifice, and the ongoing struggle for racial justice and human dignity.
- Medium
- screenprint on retroflective vinyl, mounted on Dibond
- Dimensions
- Location
- Phillips, Salt Lake City, UT
- Spotted At
- Auction House · PhillipsView on map
Notes
Execution: Executed in 2018.
🔨 Auction Lot
New Now
March 12, 2024
Estimate: $25,000 to $35,000
Lot 119
More by Hank Willis Thomas
Artists in conversation
Kara Walker
American · b. 1969
Walker similarly uses bold graphic techniques and silhouette based imagery to confront themes of racial injustice, sacrifice, and Black American identity, creating works that demand viewer engagement with uncomfortable historical and social truths.
Glenn Ligon
American · b. 1960
Ligon works in screenprint and neon with reflective and light altering surfaces to explore Black visibility, civil rights history, and the politics of representation, sharing Thomas's use of material properties as conceptual tools for social commentary.
Kehinde Wiley
American · b. 1977
Wiley creates bold figurative portraits of Black subjects rendered in rich gold and jewel tones that elevate themes of dignity, martyrdom, and heroism, echoing the red and gold palette and commemorative figurative spirit of Thomas's work.
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