Willie Cole’s art is whimsical with a vengeance, rooted in both the art and spirituality of Africa, and in the history and culture of contemporary African-Americans. Found objects, those that embody everyday American experience, are transformed by his art – not to glorify, but as enduring and often strident commentary on their use and status as tools of oppression. Such items as gasoline pump hoses, irons and ironing boards, hair dryers, heating coils, and bowling balls become tribal masks and warrior shields, thereby subverting what Cole calls the incivility of American culture, with images risen anew to evoke the grandeur of African cultural traditions. The art of Willie Cole challenges the accepted standards of all definitions. His recent interactive installations draw on simple game structures, including the element of chance, and physically engage the viewer.

Willie Cole is a professor in the Fine Arts department of the University of Georgia in Athens. Also a composer and musician, he is a former member of the avant-garde jazz band Full Mirage. He now performs as a solo artist under the name blackgomez, a “mishearing” of the title of blues icon Howlin’ Wolf’s “Back Door Man.”