‘Hot en Tot Venus’ – Renee Cox , 1994 (photograph)

The first time I saw this photograph I was instantly drawn to the oversized prosthetic breasts and butt. They seem to be something you could find in a fancy dress shop. I went on then to focus on her face as she is facing the camera; her facial expression suggests to me that she is watching the viewer as you ‘gaze’ upon her. She draws attention to the power of the objectifying gaze and by looking back at the viewer she pushes that back onto you (the viewer). My initial reaction to seeing this photograph without knowing the context behind it, was that maybe she was trying to hide her real body with these fake prosthetics as if she believes this is what the public ‘desire’ to see in regards to a female body. However, after looking into the context, I now realise that the real message behind this photograph is much more complex and powerful.

The motivation behind this work was based on research and the discovery of Saartje/Sarah Baartman’s story. Sarah Baartman was objectified due to her large body proportions in 19th Century Europe. That specific audience was fascinated by Sarah Baartman and other ‘Khoikhoi’ women because they were seen as “distinct from the ‘civilised female’ of the 19th Century. They were so fascinated that they would pay to ‘gaze’ upon her as if she was some kind of exhibit, or even negatively, ‘a freak of nature’. Renee Cox makes very clear and powerful statements about both race and gender through her work. The fact that she uses her own body means that Cox is liberated in her art, as well as her background and appearance. Instead of trying to hide her body, which I originally thought, she’s in fact empowering herself and calling out and criticising how black women are often portrayed in the media today.

Bibliography

COX, R. 1994. Hot-En-Tot [photograph] –  [Accessed: 18th October 2017]

Available from : http://www.reneecox.org/hottentot-venue

BLACK FEMINIST ART, 2014. Renee Cox – Hot En Tot [online] – [Accessed: 18th October 2017]

Available from : https://artintheblackdiaspora.wordpress.com/2014/05/01/renee-cox-hot-en-tot