Noel W. Anderson

Upraised hands could be read as symbols of greeting, of religious fervor, but this pose has become increasingly associated with compliance, fear, and resignation. By juxtaposing these historic images, while distorting and obscuring their initial context, Noel W. Anderson asks us to consider a multiplicity of readings and meanings. Here, Anderson explores the “hands up” gesture through a number of moments, ranging from political to submissive:

– The upraised hand of an 18th century Dogon sculpture
– An appropriation of artist Glenn Ligon’s appropriation of an image taken during the 1995 Million Man March
– A pair of handcuffed hands
– The outstretched hand of Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr.

Noel W Anderson is an Assistant Professor at NYU’s Art and Art Professions Department in Print Media. He holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Ohio Wesleyan University, a Master of Fine Arts from Indiana University in Printmaking, and a Master of Fine Arts from Yale University in Sculpture. Anderson was recently included in the Studio Museum of Harlem’s exhibition Speaking of People: Ebony, Jet, and Contemporary Art, which included an internationally published book. He held an appointment as a Visiting Lecturer at Vanderbilt University, and was also a recent Visiting Artist and Lecturer at the Ecole Nationale Superieure des Arts Decoratifs in Paris, France.

Noel W. Anderson (b. 1981), Hands-Up, 2016. Four stretched Jacquard tapestries. Museum purchase, 2019.27.a-d