David Hammons is one of the most important Afro-American artists of our time. The urban reality of his home base New York and his Afro-American roots are important aspects in his oeuvre. Hammons developed his own vocabulary using symbols from everyday life – often rubbish and banal objects – that he associates with the urbanised Afro-American life. In his installations, videos, drawings, paintings and performances he mixes this personal vocabulary with references to Western art history, which affords many of his works an ironic charge.
