ARTISTS
Ernest and Ruth
Ernest and Ruth is a sculpture in the shape of a classic comic-book speech bubble, as if pulled off the page and into three dimensions. Named after artist Hank Willis Thomas鈥檚 grandmother, Ruth Willis, and Ruth鈥檚 father, Ernest Holman, the sculpture鈥檚 title immediately suggests a dialogue鈥攖wo people sharing one bubble.
The sculpture is a bench: an invitation to sit and converse with one another, to share and to listen. Visitors become a part of the artwork, activating and interpreting it for themselves, and giving the work meaning that constantly evolves with new ideas. Standing away from the work, it frames the surrounding landscape, creating shifting perspectives鈥攁dding to the infinite stories the work supports. Thomas hopes that when visitors occupy the piece, they will 鈥渃ontemplate what it means to inhabit their own speech and beliefs".
On view on the Tang Museum lawn from September 2024 until January 2026, Ernest and Ruth is presented in conjunction with the fall 2024 exhibition Establish, Insure, Provide, Promote: Election 2024, which explores questions of democracy and citizenship, providing a gathering space for talks, panels, concerts, voter registration, debates, town meetings, class sessions, club events, and more.
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Ernest and Ruth is a sculpture in the shape of a classic comic-book speech bubble, as if pulled off the page and into three dimensions. Named after artist Hank Willis Thomas鈥檚 grandmother, Ruth Willis, and Ruth鈥檚 father, Ernest Holman, the sculpture鈥檚 title immediately suggests a dialogue鈥攖wo people sharing one bubble.
The sculpture is a bench: an invitation to sit and converse with one another, to share and to listen. Visitors become a part of the artwork, activating and interpreting it for themselves, and giving the work meaning that constantly evolves with new ideas. Standing away from the work, it frames the surrounding landscape, creating shifting perspectives鈥攁dding to the infinite stories the work supports. Thomas hopes that when visitors occupy the piece, they will 鈥渃ontemplate what it means to inhabit their own speech and beliefs".
On view on the Tang Museum lawn from September 2024 until January 2026, Ernest and Ruth is presented in conjunction with the fall 2024 exhibition Establish, Insure, Provide, Promote: Election 2024, which explores questions of democracy and citizenship, providing a gathering space for talks, panels, concerts, voter registration, debates, town meetings, class sessions, club events, and more.
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