CHRIS WILSON

Artist Statement 

Growing up in Washington, DC, I was surrounded by violence and despair. I watched my family and neighborhood shattered by trauma, and I lost my faith. One night when I was seventeen, while defending myself, I killed a man. I was sentenced to life in prison with no hope of parole. After a long-lasting depression and two years in prison, I sat down and wrote a list of all the things I intended to accomplish and all the steps I’d have to take to get there. I called it my Master Plan and over the next 14 years, I implemented that plan. 

In 2006, while in my late twenties, I did the impossible: I convinced a judge to reduce my sentence and became a free man. Thirteen years later, I published a book. The Master Plan: My Journey from Life in Prison to a Life of Purpose is about how I worked my plan every day for years. My aim today is to embody—and lead by example—the belief that every person is capable of redemption and of doing great things.

All these experiences deeply inform my art-making. For me, art is an empowering and revolutionary force—a daily spiritual practice that keeps me connected to my own personal sense of meaning. My work and stories spur radical questions of cultural suppression, personal liberation, and beating the odds with authenticity and courage. I paint vividly, favoring primary colors, which were prohibited in prison. Red, white, and blue feature prominently in my work—colors that symbolize freedom, joy, and Black America. 

As a painter, I entered the art world through the “back door”—my route was more circuitous than most. Over the years, my life story propelled me into community development, advocacy, social justice, and business. As an entrepreneur who now leads three companies, I’ve learned the value of connecting and relationships, and I’ve used that experience to build a network outside of my own art scene. In doing so, I’ve built a foundation of mentors and international collectors who encourage and nurture my career as an artist.