
Photo: Brett Wallace
Exploring the inner workings of labor—through art
Photo: Brett Wallace
From Amazon to the trucking industry, artist Brett Wallace ’99 has devoted his career to examining the underbelly of modern labor. A multidisciplinary artist, he examines ideas and exposes truths using whatever tool is best for the job—from performance pieces and installations to documentary film.
When he was a teen, Wallace picked up a book of Henri Matisse masterworks and, after trying his hand at copying the paintings, he was hooked on artmaking. By his junior year at UMass, he says, “I really started to get experimental.” In awe of his fellow students, who he says were “blowing it out of the water,” Wallace saw their work as an invitation to bring his best. His senior thesis project—a commentary on the intersections between humans and technology—combined sculpture made of recycled parts and intricate paintings.
Years later, Wallace can easily see the throughline to his current work, saying that the intersection of technology and labor is the focal area for his practice. Though his dedication to this subject remains steadfast, his artistic proficiency has broadened to encompass a wide range of media. His most recent solo exhibition, Working Conditions (NURTUREart, 2019), welcomed the viewer into installations modeled after workplaces, each accompanied by a video essay. The exhibit examined the effect of surveillance and artificial intelligence on workers. In one installation, viewers were invited onto a bed like those found in the cabs of long-haul trucks. Meanwhile, a video played that discussed the increase in surveillance on trucks and of truckers themselves, via cameras and GPS tracking.
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