Rewriting the Frame: Lorna Simpson and the Power of Perception

Stands at the forefront of conceptual photography, reshaping how we see and understand identity, race, gender, and history. Through her groundbreaking visual language—merging photography, text, collage, and installation—Simpson has carved out a space where complex narratives about Black womanhood and representation come into sharp focus.

Born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, Simpson emerged as a powerful voice in the 1980s art scene with her iconic black-and-white photo-text works. These early pieces featured images of Black women paired with fragmented and often unsettling phrases. In doing so, she confronted the viewer with the gaps between image and meaning—raising profound questions about visibility, stereotypes, and the politics of perception.

One of her most recognized works, The Waterbearer (1986), exemplifies her ability to combine visual simplicity with conceptual depth. In it, a Black woman pours water from two vessels, accompanied by text that challenges the authority of historical narratives. The piece speaks volumes about the burden of truth and the unreliability of dominant cultural memory.

As her career evolved, so did her medium. Simpson expanded her practice to include video, sculpture, and mixed media, further deepening her exploration of time, memory, and identity. Her recent collage works—featuring vintage images from iconic Black publications like Ebony and Jet—reimagine Black femininity, beauty, and power through an Afrofuturist and surrealist lens. By layering fragments of the past with imaginative new contexts, Simpson offers a re-visioning of what has been, and what could be.

Her influence is far-reaching. Simpson’s work is featured in leading art institutions such as the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), the Whitney Museum of American Art, and the Tate Modern. Her presence in these spaces is not only a testament to her talent but also a challenge to the art world’s historical exclusions.

Lorna Simpson’s work is more than art—it is an intervention. With grace and intensity, she dissects how Black women have been seen, misrepresented, and erased, and in their place, offers images and narratives that are layered, dignified, and unbound. In reframing the frame itself, Simpson continues to shift the cultural lens—inviting us all to look again, and more deeply.