Art 111 journal entry #6

Ads imitate art, art imitates life, life imitates ads.....with this unusual take on the transitive property, Hank Willis Thomas introduces us to his work. In an effort to expose stigmas and stereotypes in society associated with Afro Americans, he's removed the branding from several advertisements. The theory is that corporate logos somehow distract us from the imagery of the ads and their cultural undertones. I don't necessarily agree with this, nor do I agree that these images are prejudiced or portray African Americans in a negative light. I get the impression that this is the message the artist is trying to send. What strikes me though, is just how incredibly cheeseball and unrealistic many of these images are. This may be because all of the ads come from the 1970's where, with the dated fashions and hairstyles, one can't help but look silly. I'm going to try and use this technique with modern ads....looking past the branding and trying to see what's actually being depicted. I wonder if the results will be equally ridiculous.