Hank Willis Thomas gained wide recognition with his highly provocative series B®ANDED, which addresses the commodification of African-American male identity by raising questions about visual culture and the power of logos. Pitch Blackness, published by Aperture, is Thomas' first monograph and features selections from this series as well as others, including his latest, Unbranded: Reflections in Black by Corporate America from 1968 to 2008.The book begins with a deeply personal and interpretive re-telling of the senseless murder of young Songha Willis, the artist's cousin, who was robbed at gunpoint and murdered outside a nightclub in Philadelphia in 2000. It then charts Thomas' career as he grapples with the issues of grief, black-on-black violence in America, and the ways in which corporate culture is complicit in the crises of black male identity. With its characteristic pointedness and dark humor, Pitch Blackness exemplifies why Hank Willis Thomas is considered one of today's most compelling emerging artists.
The first recipient of the inaugural Aperture West Book Prize, Thomas' book was made possible by the generous support of Sondra Gilman and Celso Gonzalez-Falla, and the LEF Foundation.
Pitch Blackness
Hardcover
125 four-color images
128 Pages
8 x 10 inches
ISBN: 978-1-59711-072-3
Available through booksellers and aperture.org