Lorna Simpson (b. 1960) is an American artist renowned as a pioneer of conceptual photography. Her artwork explores the interplay between historical memory, culture, and African-American identity. Her work frequently confronts the ways in which race and gender shape human interactions and experience.

Throughout her artistic practice, Simpson frequently employs images of hair to explore nuanced representations of race and gender. This central motif is frequently paired with concise and ambiguous text, enhancing the significance of the imagery by incorporating elements of humor, irony, and shock.

"Wigs" stands out as an exemplary piece within Simpson's oeuvre for its combination of image with text. The black-and-white photograph features a chevron moustache in the top left corner, contrasted by a merkin positioned in the bottom right. Although anatomically correct, the images appear to be positioned in a hierarchy, which is supported by text that reads "upper case wig" and "lower case wig". This is a clever reference to both anatomy and gender.

This work is likely a precursor or sibling to her large scale installation "Wigs" from 1994 that is in the permanent collection at MoMA.

This work can be found in numerous museum collections including the Whitney Museum of American Art (New York). Her work is also held by collections across the globe including the Museum of Contemporary Art (Chicago); the Walker Art Center (Minneapolis), and Haus der Kunst (Munich), amongst others.

Condition: very good