Lina Iris Viktor is a British-Liberian conceptual artist whose work centers around the age-old practice of gilding with 24-karat gold to call into question the nature of time and being. Utilizing a multidisciplinary approach, Viktor weaves together many disparate materials, uniting contemporary and ancient modes of making including photography, performance, installation, and abstract painting. In recent years she has focused on creating increasingly dark canvases embedded with “layers of light” in the form of symbols and intricate patterns that Viktor calls “light-works.” According to the artist: “My personal mandate has always been to reveal that which is hidden. To reflect upon diverse histories — many of which have been grossly misrepresented or erased — and bring them to light. I want to offer a hopeful projection of a future I would like to see.” Viktor has exhibited extensively in the United States and internationally, including at the Harvard Art Museums and the Cooper Gallery at Harvard University and the Spelman College Museum of Fine Art in Atlanta, and has a solo exhibition at the New Orleans Museum of Art (opening in October 2018). Additionally, Viktor has engaged in critical talks and panels at the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art in Washington, D.C., New York University, the Institute of Contemporary Arts in London, and King’s College in London.

Supported by University of Michigan Museum of Art (UMMA).