AEIVA Gallery II Hank Willis Thomas: Unbranded
Hank Willis Thomas’ 2005–08 series Unbranded: Reflections in Black by Corporate America 1968-2008 decontextualizes advertising images targeted toward African-American audiences in print magazines including Ebony and Jet. For this series, Thomas appropriates and removes all branding from 4 decades of advertising photography. The result is a deceptively simple but shockingly insightful commentary on the ability of advertising to shape our cultural development and perceptions. Using the years of Martin Luther King’s assassination and President Barack Obama’s election as start and end points, Thomas challenges viewers to distinguish between the messages conveyed through text and visual imagery.
Related Events
-
Meet The Artist SeriesThe Eric Essix Group featuring Tracy Hamlin
Dedication is a tribute to Black history icons who have made their mark in the cause of civil rights, music, sports and American culture. Featuring Birmingham’s own...
-
Meet The Artist SeriesWinnie The Pooh
Winnie the Pooh has been charming children of all ages for nearly 100 years, and now the gentle, honey-craving bear gets a fresh take and takes the stage...
-
AEIVA and Department of Art and Art History Present47th Annual Juried Student Exhibition
Works by students, chosen by artist and guest juror Donté K. Hayes, will be featured in the Annual Juried Student Exhibition at the University of Alabama at Birmingham’s...