Convocation
For Convocation, Wilson dripped acid onto the copper printing plate, reflecting his ongoing exploration of liquids and spots, as well as his interest in the color black and cultural representations of race and blackness. By adjusting the distance between his hand and the plate, he created dots and clusters with various intensities that resemble groups of people but also recall organisms in a petri dish and cosmic imagery. Short phrases in speech bubbles float between the dots. The statements derive from African and African American characters written by the white authors Aphra Behn, Athol Fugard, Eugene O’Neill, and Tennessee Williams. Without altering their words, Wilson placed these characters—each often the only black voice in their respective texts—in direct dialogue, creating what he termed "conversations."
Artwork Details
- Title: Convocation
- Artist: Fred Wilson (American, born New York, 1954)
- Publisher: Crown Point Press
- Printer: Crown Point Press
- Printer: Case Hudson
- Date: 2004
- Medium: Spit bite aquatint with color aquatint and direct gravure
- Dimensions: Image: 19 7/8 × 23 13/16 in. (50.5 × 60.5 cm)
Sheet: 30 11/16 in. × 34 in. (78 × 86.3 cm) - Classification: Prints
- Credit Line: John B. Turner Fund, 2018
- Object Number: 2018.557
- Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints
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