Stephen Willats

Stephen Willats, born in 1943, in London, is one of the most important and influential British artists of his generation. His artistic position frequently serves as a point of reference for the latest developments in contemporary art. Since the 1960s, he has been examining the function and meaning of art in society, a project fuelled by his interest in cybernetics and Black Box theories. Willats’ wide range of preferred artistic mediums includes drawing, photographic documentation, wall installations, and computer-driven communication devices and animation. Willats often uses diagrams as tools to illustrate the dynamic flow of information and relations within social networks. He sees diagrams as speculative instruments and as a means to describe social relationships and depict new philosophical, social and ideological points of view.