“Everything we see hides another thing, we always want to see what is hidden by what we see. There is an interest in that which is hidden and which the visible does not show us. This interest can take the form of a quite intense feeling, a sort of conflict, one might say, between the visible that is hidden and the visible that is present.” ― René Magritte

Jack Shainman Gallery presented Hank Willis Thomas's, Everything We See Hides Another Thing across both Chelsea spaces. Comprising large-scale sculptures, mixed media textile works, and retroreflective prints, this exhibition of new work continues Thomas’s exploration of color theory, gestures of unity and strength, and the many ways we can look at a given historical moment or subject. 

Thomas’s retroreflective works exhibit an interest in the repetition of mass-produced imagery and attention to the hand of the artist, referencing works by Andy Warhol and Robert Rauschenberg. Trained as a photographer, Thomas has always focused on framing and context, and often appropriates archival images along with new or rarely used technical processes. Viewers are prompted to shift their position or use a tool to see a moment in its entirety. For instance, by activating his retroreflective work with a flash photograph, the viewer reveals the latent image, thereby stepping into the role of image maker. In both form and content, the works revealed multiple ways to look at a given historical moment or subject.