The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of April 21, 2024

Your Skin has the Power to Protect You

Your Skin has the Power to Protect You

2008
(American, 1976-)
America, 21st century
digital chromogenic print
Paper: 166.4 x 130.8 cm (65 1/2 x 51 1/2 in.)
Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund 2012.63
© 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.
  • 2008
    Hank Willis Thomas (the artist) [1976-]
    (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=Your Skin has the Power to Protect You|url=false|author=Hank Willis Thomas|year=2008|access-date=21 April 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/2012.63