Speak of Me as I Am: Chandelier Mori

Description

Art historian Jennifer Gonzalez has referred to artist Fred Wilson as a “Foucauldian archaeologist” who has systematically engaged in “unearthing objects that reveal hidden histories.” In Speak of Me as I Am: Chandelier Mori, created for the US Pavilion at the 2003 Venice Biennale, Wilson refers to the exotic role persons of African descent played in Venice during the Renaissance. The chandelier is made from Murano glass, which here represents Venetian history of class privilege, tradition, and race relations. Wilson’s installation also speaks to personal themes of sadness and regret, memory and trauma, and pain and fear.