The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of March 29, 2024

Slack Power

Slack Power

2006
(American, 1976-)
Image: 119.4 x 87 cm (47 x 34 1/4 in.); Framed: 143.4 x 111 cm (56 7/16 x 43 11/16 in.)
© Hank Willis Thomas
Location: not on view

Did You Know?

The Unbranded series encourages us to consider how advertising reinforces generalizations surrounding race, gender, and cultural identity.

Description

Hank Willis Thomas chose 2 ads per year published in Ebony, a magazine aimed at African Americans, between 1968—the year Martin Luther King was assassinated—and 2008, the year Barack Obama was elected president. He subtracted all the branding information from the images and added titles, often satirical, to each image. The result is a four-decade survey of how advertisers thought African Americans wanted to see themselves.
  • 2006-?
    Hank Willis Thomas (the artist) [1976-]
    ?-2012
    (Jack Shainman Gallery, New York, NY)
    September 4, 2012
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • Hank Willis Thomas at the Transformer Station. Transformer Station (December 14, 2013-March 8, 2014).
  • {{cite web|title=Slack Power|url=false|author=Hank Willis Thomas|year=2006|access-date=29 March 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/2012.62