A Moth of Peace

Created in Venice, a renowned center of glassmaking for centuries, the scattering of black glass throughout this chandelier suggests something more to contemplate than sheer beauty. Venice was once one of the most ethnically diverse city-states in the world, but cultural institutions often overlook the role persons of African descent played in European history. Wilson uses a symbolic black-and-white color palette to train our gaze upon traditionally marginalized people. The title here refers to Desdemona, a white Venetian lady married to a Black Venetian military commander, in Shakespeare's tragic play Othello.