Renee Cox: Feminist Artist by Vandenengel, Kate

1. The Signing

6223277 — 2024-11-21 22:19:25 UTC

What is it: The signing is a massive 12-foot long photograph that re-imagines the signing of the American Constitution. The Founding Fathers are replaced by women and people of colour. There is a mix of modern day fashion, 18th century fashion, and traditional African attire.

Connection to the course: In class, we learned about how women used to be included in art to appeal to the male gaze. In this photograph, the women are not included with the sole purpose of being admired, they are seen as powerful individuals.

Widewalls Editorial. “Renée Cox Discusses The Signing and the Importance of Rewriting History.” Widewalls, Widewalls, https://www.widewalls.ch/magazine/renee-cox-the-signing-interview. Accessed 21 Nov. 2024.

2. Hottentot Venus

6223277 — 2024-11-21 22:30:16 UTC

What is it: This is a self-portrait Renee did where she is posing as the Hottentot Venus, a South African women who in 1810 was kidnapped by the British. Many nude drawings of this women were passed around Europe and people went crazy for them. After she died, her genitals were put on display in a museum in France. She was seen as a racial stereotype that showed Black peoples "inferiority", and how Black women are overly sexualized.

Connection to the course: When reading about the female nude, we learned that different artists had different preferences when presenting themselves and the female nude. Some artists preferred to paint women with veins and other aspects to seem more realistic, while some artists liked to idealize the female nude. It is very obvious from this photo of Renee Cox that she is taking a political stand and is critiquing the negative stereotypes Black women face. Renee is not trying to look her best, she is trying to send a message.

McMillan, Uri. “RENÉE COX: A TASTE OF POWER: A Conversation with Uri McMillan.” Aperture, no. 225, 2016, pp. 64–71. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/44404712. Accessed 21 Nov. 2024.

Farrington, Lisa E. “Reinventing Herself: The Black Female Nude.” Woman’s Art Journal, vol. 24, no. 2, 2003, pp. 15–23. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/1358782. Accessed 21 Nov. 2024.

3. The Discreet Charm of the Bougies

6223277 — 2024-11-21 22:45:00 UTC

What is it: This image is part of Renee's "Discreet Charm of the Bougies" photography series. This photograph critiques the hidden struggles of privileged Afro-American women in upper-class suburban settings, often overshadowed by societal stereotypes. Renee had the goal of exploring the "desperate housewife" trope that Black women are often portrayed as alongside being portrayed as victims and as offensive stereotypes.

Connection to the course: This photograph brings us to the idea of “reading images” which was brought up in "Bad Hair Days in the Paleolithic" which describes the way that images evolve and are interpreted based on social and cultural circumstances. This reading was about stereotyping others with little information and how easily we can believe in these ideas. Renee Cox as an artist has the goal of challenging stereotypes and how so many things get overlooked because people are so quick to judge. Renee wants to challenge these narrow-minded ideas and shed light on how damaging some representations really are.

Cox, Renée. “The Discreet Charm of the Bougie - Not SL.” Renée Cox, https://www.reneecox.org/the-discreet-charm-of-the-bougie-not-sl. Accessed 21 Nov. 2024.