'Holy Virgin Mary' by Chris Ofili (1996)

Winner of the 1998 Turner Prize, Chris Ofili was no stranger to controversy. His use of elephant dung within his creations was, by his own admission, a hook to draw attention to his work. The dung also serves as a reference to his African roots and is essentially a visual representation of Africa, placed carefully into Ofili's paintings, and not, as some believe, thrown haphazardly upon the canvas. Within 'Holy Virgin Mary', Ofili is at his most controversial, depicting the Madonna as an unflattering, dark-skinned image, her right breast (made of dung) exposed to all. In the background we see numerous cut outs of female genitalia taken directly from pornographic magazines. When exhibited in New York, the then mayor Rudy Guiliani found it offensive, but I would disagree. The work is a great example of the use of contradictions in art where sex and virginity, cleanliness and perceived dirt and the image of a dark-skinned Madonna are difficult to digest.

In this quintessentially Renaissance image of the Virgin Mary by Raphael, we see an emphasis on pure white skin, piety and virginity. We see that, much like Carrie Mae Weems' 'Mirror Mirror', Ofili has taken an image of white purity and played upon it to create a striking piece of art. What Ofili ultimately accomplishes is an image that engages with racial prejudice by giving the viewer a stereotype. Ideas of overt black sexuality are emphasised to an extreme and placed before us. By viewing these stereotypes in such a bold way makes the viewer engage with their own prejudices. We are in essence so used to seeing a particular image of the Madonna (and indeed Christ) that we are confused by Ofili's depiction and question the images of the Madonna we have seen previously. We are told that Jesus was born in Bethlehem, yet the most famous depictions of him, and his mother show a purely white skin-tone. Much like Weems, Ofili is engaging with a history of prejudice and Ofili asks if it purely the sexual content that is so striking and controversial. Unfortunately, as is generally the case, controversy comes from misunderstanding and misinterpretation. Ofili isn't being blasphemous but playing with racial stereotypes and forcing us to converse with our own ideas of religion and race.

'Mirror Mirror', Carrie Mae Weems (1987)

Throughout the History of Art it is in essence the white male that has been at it's epicentre. Within the latter half of the 20th century, Black art began to grow, but again, the emphasis was on the male. Carrie Mae Weems' work dealt with what it was to be an African American woman within a white mans world. Within 'Mirror, Mirror' Weems deals with the ideals of beauty and the prejudices that African American women deal with when sex-symbols are predominantly white.

The work references the well-known tale of Snow White (as seen above within the 1938 Disney animated feature) and specifically the way she is seen to represent the epitome of feminine beauty and grace. Her name itself emphasises the connotations of black and white on a purely aesthetic basis. White is the colour of purity and light whereas black is dark and menacing. It's ideals such as this that seem to be learned from an early age. Snow White as a feature film appeals to children, entertaining but also teaching with it's depictions of good vs evil. Weems plays on the fact that Snow Whites pale complexion is an integral part to her perceived beauty. Weems sees the lack of black female sex symbols and relates it to such childhood stories as Snow White and how during the 20th century, it was the white female that came to represent glamour, beauty and sexuality.

Race Riot (1968)

Race Riot came at a time where Hanson's work concerned itself primarily with a strong moral and social conscience. The image above is the original and completed Race Riot, which due to fire has all but been lost. What still exists is sculpture to the left, known, and exhibited now as Policeman and Rioter.

Although an incredibly striking sculpture that brings to light the issues of police brutality and racism, Policeman and Rioter loses the initial impact and context of Race Riot. In Policeman and Rioter we see a young African American lying, defenseless on the ground whilst a helmeted police officer kicks him and prepares to hit him with a baton like weapon.

The attire of the African American man can be seen to refer back to the image of slavery creating an image of both modern and historical African American oppression.

If we look at Race Riot again, we see an image with a similar, yet differing attitude to that of Policeman and Rioter. The most striking difference is that the violence is two sided within Race Riot. We see two African American figures brandishing weapons including a machete (another reference to agricultural slavery?). The image we are given then is an image of war, as opposed to solely an image of African American opression and we ask ourselves who's the real winner when a fight for freedom becomes a bloody battle?