Chandelier Mori: Speak of Me as I Am

Fred Wilson has been referred to by art historian Jennifer Gonzalez as a “Foucauldian archaeologist” who has systematically engaged in “unearthing objects that reveal hidden histories.” In Chandelier Mori: Speak of Me as I Am, created for the U. S. Pavilion at the 2003 Venice Biennale, Wilson refers to the exotic role of Africans in Venice during the Renaissance. The chandelier is made from Murano glass, which here represents Venetian history of class privilege, tradition, and race relations. Wilson’s installation also speaks to personal themes of sadness and regret, memory and trauma, and pain and fear.