‘Door 2’ by Fred Hampton which was exhibited at the Soul of a Nation exhibition really struck a chord with me and is something that will stay with me forever.

the contrasting red and green door, riddled with bullets almost drew me to tears. Without saying anything it said everything. The colours were so bold to this day and draw the audience in, and the bullet holes really brought to life the reality of life for African Americans and the fear that they must have felt at the time.

At the top of the door ‘US approved’ had been written in paint with 3 stars. The colours used were red, white and blue which mimicked the US flag. This was almost a sarcastic comment from the artist, saying that America is not only accepting the death of innocent African Americans but that they also won’t change or do anything about it. Innocent people are being murdered by gangs and police and because of the colour of their skin nothing is done about it.

The thing that really made me emotional is that the door still has the same meaning today and nothing has changed. To this day innocent African Americans are being murdered by gangs and the police, yet the government isn’t doing anything. The fact that this is still happening is awful. ‘Door 2’ by Fred Hampton should’ve memorialised a time in history that was so barbaric we couldn’t imagine it happening today, but instead it stands as a reminder that this is still happening every day and nothing has changed at all really.

There are a number of things which make this image captivating – the black and grey filter, the extensions of the body and the fact that the woman is black.

The plastic bottom and breasts act as an extension of Renee Cox’s natural form. They draw attention away from the rest of her body and might be the artist’s way of making a statement about the media and how they portray women.

The rise of celebrity culture has meant that more and more people are being exposed to airbrushed images of what a woman should look like – skinny, with large breasts and large bottoms. Women are going to great lengths to achieve this image through plastic surgery in a hope that it will fill them with confidence and belonging.

The black and white filter that has been used on the photograph reminds me of an advertisement in a magazine. The artist’s pose also reminds me of a modelling photo. It is almost as if the artist is modelling her own insecurities to the rest of the world.

Renee Cox is of African descent and I feel that this is something that has influenced this image a lot. African women are portrayed to have voluptuous figures and sometimes the media will try and draw attention away from their skin colour – this is the media trying to whitewash their advertisements. The black and white filter makes Renee’s skin colour less noticeable and the fake breasts and bottom draw attention from her as a person – her body is basically just there to support these 2 features, who she is as a person doesn’t matter to the journalist.