Mini Post 3

The Feast and Famine Exhibition I attended changed my perspective on the way I perceive the world. The gallery demonstrates many different themes socially and politically with food. Food has many different meanings among in every society. I was unaware of how food could represent meaningful messages behind it. Visiting the art gallery helped me realized that individuals in society take many things for granting, especially food that comes easily to us.  It also helped me realized social issues I have never taken into account when considering the food we eat. We exhibited many pieces of artwork, but the two pieces of art that stood out to me is The Liberation of Lady J and UB by Renee Cox and There’s Nothing Sweet About Slavery by Ella Halpine.

The Liberation of Lady J and UB, Renee Cox

Renee Cox used The Liberation of Lady J and UB to critique society. The painting depicts a younger version of Aunt Jemima and Uncle Ben and an unknown woman. She uses the concept of food as a social critique of the racism present in society. The unknown woman is presented in the likeness of herself; she uses herself as a model to liberate both the stereotypical advertising figures, Aunt Jemima and Uncle Ben. The way I interpreted the painting was that Renee is freeing Aunt Jemima and Uncle ben from their “labels”, which is their stereotypes.

Theres Nothing Sweet about Slavery, Ella Halpine 

Another painting that fits the theme of slavery that I viewed in the Paul Robeson Gallery is There’s Nothing Sweet About Slavery by Ella Halpine. A current issue that has been going on in the world today is that child slavery is big in the Cocoa industry. Ella Halpine provides a social commentary with the artwork and depicts a chocolate bar shackling the hand of an individual. The artwork has the words there’s nothing sweet about slavery. Many individuals eat chocolate and enjoy it but forget to remember how cocoa beans are picked. We enjoy the luxuries presented to us but forget the individuals that are allowing us to have these luxuries. When I saw the artwork, it made me take a step back and realize how I have taken things for granted.

Rebellious Silence, Shirin Neshat, 1994

Another artwork, I feel fits the theme of stereotypes is Rebellious Silence by Shirin Neshat. The painting depicts a Muslim woman with a gun in front of her face. There is farsi text written all over the females face. The veil covering her body, gun and calligraphy all mask the woman and seem to protect her and show us how little we truly understand about her. This painting is a social commentary that challenges the beliefs that Muslim women are meant to be submissive. She forces the audience to rethink what they have been conditioned to believe by society. In comparison to The Liberation of Lady J and UB by Renee Cox, these paintings challenge misconceptions about a specific race or religion and try to rectify a societal norm.