I chose Renée Cox’s Hot-en-tot Venus, 1994 photograph to analyse. In this photograph she uses herself as the subject matter. Cox is stood with her body facing to the side with her hands resting upon her hips, she has her head turned looking directly at the camera, straight at the audience. Cox is wearing fake breasts and a fake butt which is tightly tied on to her body using string which is clearly left to be noticed.
The message she is trying to establish is obviously very important to her and her everyday life, which may be why she has used her own body. The artist came out from hiding behind the art, she was now part of the art, which presumably was very empowering for her as a female artist. The fact that, as an audience we are looking straight at the artist, naked, really makes you understand how important the message is as she has bravely stepped out and put herself in this great vulnerable position. It also makes you realize how critical it is that she is not only representing herself, but recognizing other women and reaching out to them by putting herself out there and making it clear that the expectations drawn from the media are truly unrealistic. Cox herself used to be a model and therefore it almost means more coming from her as she is saying that even her own body isn’t media ‘perfect’ either but just embrace it.
The composition of the photograph is very interesting as she has only used a black background, which demands the audience to look at her. She is the only thing that matters at this moment of time. This is a very direct and straightforward way of communicating with the public, Cox is not hiding behind metaphorical nonsense, she is putting what she wants to say out there right in front of you. Literally looking at you straight in the eye. https://artintheblackdiaspora.wordpress.com/2014/05/01/renee-cox-hot-en-tot/

Video of the Week: After Hot-En-Tot: Two conversations with Artist Renée Cox

https://aperture.org/blog/renee-cox-taste-power/