Hannah Black

{{short description|British artist}} {{Use mdy dates|date=October 2019}} {{Infobox artist | honorific_prefix = | name = Hannah Black | honorific_suffix = | image =  | image_size = | alt = | caption = | birth_name =  | birth_date = | birth_place = Manchester, England | resting_place_coordinates =  | education = Whitney Independent Study Program, New York, 2014 Goldsmiths, University of London, (MFA) 2013 King's College, Cambridge | alma_mater = | known_for = Film, video, art and writing | notable_works = ''Dark Pool Party'' | style = Mixed media artist | movement = | spouse = | awards =  | memorials = | website = [https://vimeo.com/hannahblack/ Vimeo account][https://twitter.com/nanpansky?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor/ Twitter account] | native_name = | native_name_lang = }} '''Hannah Black''' is a British visual artist, critic, and writer. Her work spans video, text and performance.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://thekitchen.org/event/a-night-with-the-new-inquiry|title=A night with The New Inquiry|website=The Kitchen|accessdate=April 19, 2017|archive-date=April 20, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170420143545/http://thekitchen.org/event/a-night-with-the-new-inquiry|url-status=dead}} - {{Cite web|url=http://www.aqnb.com/2014/06/26/an-interview-with-hannah-black/|title=An interview with Hannah Black|date=June 26, 2014|website=AQNB|author=Eva Folks|accessdate=March 11, 2017}}</ref>

== Early life == Black was born in 1981 in Manchester, England. She is currently based in New York City, though she has previously been based in Berlin and London.<ref name=":0">{{cite journal|last1=Hurr|first1=Hannah|title=Interview with Artist and Writer Hannah Black|journal=Mask|date=May 2015|issue=16|url=http://www.maskmagazine.com/the-madness-issue|accessdate=March 4, 2017|archive-date=July 3, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190703184520/http://www.maskmagazine.com/the-madness-issue|url-status=usurped}}</ref> She studied at King's College, Cambridge, receiving a BA degree in English Literature in 2003, and publishing fiction in ''The May Anthologies 2003'', edited by Ali Smith.<ref>Ali Smith (ed.), ''Mays 2003: The May Anthologies'' (Cambridge: Varsity Publishing, 2003), p.45-55.</ref> In 2013, Black received a Masters of Fine Arts in art writing from Goldsmiths College, University of London.<ref name=GU>{{cite web|title=Contemporary Art Talks: Hannah Black|url=https://www.gold.ac.uk/calendar/?id=10116|publisher=Goldsmith University|accessdate=March 4, 2017}}</ref>

== Career == After receiving her master's degree, Black lived in New York City from 2013-2014 where she was a studio participant in the Whitney Independent Study Program.<ref name=GU/> According to Hatty Nestor in ''Art in America'', "Hannah Black's practice deals primarily with issues of global capitalism, feminist theory, the body and sociopolitical spaces of control."<ref name="art">{{cite journal|date=January 27, 2016|title=Hannah Black |url=http://www.artinamericamagazine.com/reviews/hannah-black/|website=Art in America|last1=Nestor|first1=Hatty|accessdate=March 4, 2017}}</ref> She is represented by the London gallery Arcadia Missa.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://arcadiamissa.com/hannah-black/|title=Hannah Black|publisher=Arcadia Missa|accessdate=April 19, 2017}}</ref> During her time in New York, Black was a contributing editor to the New York-based magazine, ''The New Inquiry''.<ref name=":0" /> Two years later, her first collection of writing titled ''Dark Pool Party'' was published. The book consists of seven texts "that blur the lines of fiction, nonfiction, cultural criticism, critique, and poetry."<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://entropymag.org/dark-pool-party-by-hannah-black/|title=Dark Pool Party by Hannah Black|work=Entropy|date=May 20, 2016|accessdate=April 19, 2017|archive-date=March 5, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170305114914/https://entropymag.org/dark-pool-party-by-hannah-black/|url-status=dead}} - {{Cite news|url=https://rhizome.org/editorial/2016/feb/24/dark-pool-party/|title=This is a dark pool party|work=Rhizome|author=Michael Connor|date=February 24, 2016|accessdate=July 1, 2020}} - {{Cite web|url=http://www.mottodistribution.com/shop/dark-pool-party.html|title=Dark Pool Party, Hannah Black, Dominica/Arcadia Missa|publisher=Motto|accessdate=April 19, 2017}}</ref>

In March 2017, Black posted an open letter on her Facebook page to the curators of the Whitney Biennial in response to the painting ''Open Casket'' by American artist Dana Schutz. Black's letter advocated the removal of the painting with the additional "urgent recommendation" that it be destroyed. Black's letter became the focus of the ensuing debate around race, representation and notions of free speech that "split the art world". The controversy received international attention in both mainstream and art media.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Kennedy|first1=Randy|title=White Artist's Painting of Emmett Till at Whitney Biennial Draws Protests|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/21/arts/design/painting-of-emmett-till-at-whitney-biennial-draws-protests.html|newspaper=The New York Times|accessdate=March 26, 2017|date=March 21, 2017}} - {{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/27/arts/design/emmett-till-whitney-biennial-schutz.html|title=Should Art That Infuriates Be Removed?|last=Smith|first=Roberta|date=March 27, 2017|work=The New York Times|accessdate=17 April 2017|issn=0362-4331}} - {{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2017/mar/21/whitney-biennial-emmett-till-painting-dana-schutz|title=Whitney Biennial: Emmett Till casket painting by white artist sparks anger|last=Basciano|first=Oliver|date=March 21, 2017|work=The Guardian|accessdate=April 17, 2017|issn=0261-3077}} - {{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/apr/02/emmett-till-painting-reopened-america-wounds-race-exploitation-dana-schutz|title=The painting that has reopened wounds of American racism|last=Helmore|first=Edward|date=April 2, 2017|work=The Guardian|accessdate=April 17, 2017|issn=0261-3077}} - {{Cite web|url=http://www.artnews.com/2017/03/21/the-painting-must-go-hannah-black-pens-open-letter-to-the-whitney-about-controversial-biennial-work/|title='The Painting Must Go': Hannah Black Pens Open Letter to the Whitney About Controversial Biennial Work|website=ARTnews|author=Alex Greenberger|date=March 21, 2017|accessdate=July 1, 2020}} - {{Cite news|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/when-white-people-profit-off-of-black-pain_us_58d2a435e4b0b22b0d18ee3d|title=When White People Profit Off Of Black Pain|last=Blay|first=Zeba|date=March 22, 2017|work=HuffPost|accessdate=April 17, 2017}} - {{Cite news|url=http://www.wmagazine.com/story/dana-schutz-painting-emmitt-till-whitney-biennial-protests|title="The Painting Must Go": The Protests and Reactions to Dana Schutz's Painting of Emmett Till in the 2017 Whitney Biennial|last=Eckardt|first=Stephanie|work=W|date=March 22, 2017 |accessdate=July 1, 2020}}</ref>

In 2019, Black, Ciarán Finlayson, and Tobi Haslett released a statement in ''Artforum'' titled ''The Tear Gas Biennial,'' decrying the involvement of Warren Kanders, co-chair of the board of the Whitney Museum, and his "toxic philanthropy."<ref>{{Cite web|date=2019-07-27|title=How Protest Works Now: Understanding "The Tear Gas Biennial" and its Historic Effect|url=https://momus.ca/how-protest-works-now-understanding-the-tear-gas-biennial-and-its-historic-effect/|access-date=2020-12-09|website=Momus|language=en-US}}</ref> Although Kanders has donated an estimated $10 million to the museum, the source of his fortune is derived from Safariland LLC, a company that manufactures riot gear, tear gas, and other chemical weapons used by the police and the military to enforce violent order.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Bishara|first=Hakim|date=2020-06-09|title=Warren Kanders, Former Whitney Museum Vice Chair, Vows to Exit Tear Gas Trade|url=https://hyperallergic.com/570073/warren-kanders-tear-gas-trade/|access-date=2020-12-09|website=Hyperallergic|language=en-US}}</ref> As of 1925, the Geneva Conventions have outlawed the use of tear gas in all international military conflicts, however, the tear gas fired at peaceful protesters and civilians by the police and military during the George Floyd protests as well as migrants on the US-Mexico border is the same brand of tear gas manufactured by Defense Technology, a subsidy of Safariland. A wave of artists from the Biennial, including Korakrit Arunanondchai, Meriem Bennani, Nicole Eisenman and Nicholas Galanin, demanded immediate removal of their work from the Biennial within hours after the essay was published. After mounting pressure from additional artists, critics, and patrons urging the public to boycott the show, Kanders stepped down from his leadership position at the museum. The essay was instrumental in Kanders resignation as well as the museum cutting ties with Kanders financial endowments that are directly connected to the promotion and use of military weaponry and violence during peaceful social unrest.

==Partial exhibition history == Hannah Black has participated in numerous solo and group exhibitions around the world including shows at Centre D’Art Contemporain in Geneva,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://centre.ch/en/exhibitions/hannah-black-bonaventure-ebba-fransen-waldhor-anxietina/|title=Hannah Black, Bonaventure, Ebba Fransén Waldhör ANXIETINA|publisher=Centre d’Art Contemporain Genève |accessdate=July 1, 2020}}</ref> Performance Space New York,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://performancespacenewyork.org/shows/beginning-end-none/|accessdate=February 26, 2018|title=Beginning, End, None |publisher=Performance Space New York}}</ref> Real Fine Arts,<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://realfinearts.com/index.php?/current/precious-okoyomon-and-hannah-black/|title=Precious Okoyomon and Hannah Black|publisher=Real Fine Arts|accessdate=July 1, 2020|archive-date=October 19, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211019095935/http://realfinearts.com/index.php?/current/precious-okoyomon-and-hannah-black/|url-status=dead}}</ref> Derosia<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://bodega-us.org/soc-or-barb.html|title=Hannah Black - Soc or Barb|publisher=Bodega|accessdate=July 1, 2020}}</ref> and the New Museum Theater<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.newmuseum.org/exhibitions/view/screens-series-hannah-black|title=Screens Series: Hannah Black|publisher=New Museum|accessdate=July 1, 2020}}</ref> in New York, Chisenhale Gallery<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://chisenhale.org.uk/exhibition/hannah-black/|title=Hannah Black|publisher=Chisenhale Gallery|accessdate=July 1, 2020}}</ref> and David Roberts Art Foundation, in London,<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://davidrobertsartfoundation.com/exhibition/exhibition-curators-series-9-ways-of-living-15-apr-23-jul-2016/|title=Exhibition: Curators' Series #9. Ways of Living. By Arcadia Missa (15 Apr – 23 Jul 2016) |date=November 13, 2015|publisher=David Roberts Art Foundation|accessdate=March 1, 2018}}</ref> mumok in Vienna,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.mumok.at/en/events/hannah-black|title=Hannah Black|publisher=mumok|accessdate=April 17, 2017}}</ref> Arcadia Missa in Paris,<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://arcadiamissa.com/paris-internationale-2016/|title=Paris Internationale 2016|publisher=Arcadia Missa|accessdate=April 8, 2018}}</ref> Celaya Brothers Gallery in Mexico City,<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.celayabrothersgallery.com/if-you-want-to-do-something-forget-this-debt-and-remember-it-later/|title=If you want to do something, forget this debt, and remember it later|publisher=Celaya Brothers Gallery|accessdate=July 1, 2020}}</ref> Sala Luis Miro Quesada Garland in Lima, Peru, Yarat Contemporary Art Centre, Baku, Azerbaijan,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.artsy.net/show/yarat-contemporary-art-space-the-heart-is-a-lonely-hunter|title=The Heart is a Lonely Hunter |website=Artsy|accessdate=July 1, 2020}}</ref> Chateau Shatto in Los Angeles<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://chateaushatto.com/exhibition/ed-fornieles-with-hannah-black-matt-goerzen/|title=Workland: the fence is a narrow place|publisher=Chateau Shatto|accessdate=March 1, 2018}}</ref> and Transmission and David Dale Gallery in Glasgow. Black has had performances, screenings of her art and participated in talks at museums like MoMA PS1,<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://news.artnet.com/exhibitions/hannah-black-moma-ps1-921290|title=Hannah Black Transcends the Dana Schutz Controversy With a Slow-Burn MoMA PS1 Performance|date=April 11, 2017|work=Artnet|author= Terence Trouillot|accessdate=July 1, 2020}} - {{Cite web|url=https://www.moma.org/calendar/events/2496?locale=en|title=Hannah Black, OR LIFE OR|publisher=The Museum of Modern Art|accessdate=July 1, 2020}} - {{Cite web|url=http://www.artnews.com/2017/04/14/at-moma-ps1-hannah-black-alights-as-artist-and-heroine/|title=Role Play: At MoMA PS1, Hannah Black Alights as Artist and Heroine|website=ARTnews|author=Alex Greenberger|accessdate=April 17, 2017|date=July 1, 2020}}</ref> Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.moca.org/program/screen-hannah-black|title=SCREEN: Hannah Black|publisher=The Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles|accessdate=March 4, 2017}}</ref> Swiss Institute Contemporary Art, New York<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.swissinstitute.net/event/discussion-apocalyptic-thinking-with-hannah-black-and-evan-calder-williams/|title=Conversation {{!}} Apocalyptic Thinking with Hannah Black and Evan Calder Williams |publisher= Swiss Institute|accessdate=July 1, 2020}}</ref> and the Institute of Contemporary Arts, London<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.ica.art/whats-on/anxietina-performance-hannah-black-and-bonaventure|title=ANXIETINA: A performance by Hannah Black and Bonaventure|publisher=Institute of Contemporary Arts|accessdate=July 1, 2020}}</ref>

== References == {{Reflist}}

== External links == * [http://thenewinquiry.com/author/hannah-black/ Articles at ''The New Inquiry''] *[https://www.artspace.com/artist/hannah-black Article on Art Space]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Black, Hannah}} Category:1981 births Category:Living people Category:21st-century English women artists Category:Alumni of Goldsmiths, University of London Category:Alumni of King's College, Cambridge Category:Artists from Manchester Category:Black British artists Category:Black British women writers Category:British feminist artists Category:British video artists Category:English expatriates in France Category:English expatriates in Germany Category:British feminist writers Category:British women video artists