Wigs
Artist: Lorna Simpson (American, born 1960)
Date: 1994
Dimensions:
Overall (see remarks field for panel sizes): 72 x 162 1/2 in. (182.9 x 412.8 cm)
18 panels at 23 x 18 1/2 in. each
3 panels at 32 x 16 in. each
18 small text panels at various sizes
Medium: Waterless lithograph on felt
Classification: Prints
Credit Line: Gift of Mrs. Webster Plass and of Miss Elsie C. Mershon in memory of Edward C. Mershon, by exchange
Object number: 2007.7B
Label Text:What does your hair mean to you? How does it reflect or shape your identity? Do you think people sometimes assume things about you based on your hairstyle? In Wigs, Lorna Simpson presents an array of wigs and hairpieces—everything from braids, weaves, falls, and Barbie Doll blonde locks to male facial hair—to raise the issue of how hair has played a central role in African-American cultural and personal identity, especially in relationship to traditional white standards of beauty. She printed her photographic images of the hairpieces onto felt, adding a tactile element to the work (but please don’t touch it!). Though her work frequently deals with issues of race, gender, class, and identity, she leaves any precise interpretation of her images and text—and how they interact—up to the viewer.
Description2007.7 A - R: 18 panels 23 x 18.5 in.
Not on view