Renee Cox, "Mother of Us All" (from "The Queen Nanny of the Maroons" series).
One of the highlights of San Francisco Art Week, “Infinite Hope” is a beautiful, educational and at times emotional journey perfect for observing Black History Month. The exhibition is organized by the Jenkins Johnson Gallery and features the work of photo artists Kwame Brathwaite, Renée Cox, Ming Smith and Gordon Parks.
Parks’ photos from the ’50 and ’60s Civil Rights era have a power and tension that only gets stronger with time. Brathwaite’s work shows the 1970s ethos “Black is Beautiful,” full of intimacy and joy, while Smith’s work has a haunting veritas. Cox’s “Chillen with Liberty” (1998), showing the artist in a superhero outfit and perched on the tiara of the Statue of Liberty, is audacious and fabulous, while her 2004 piece “Queen Nanny of the Maroons Series” offers a quieter perspective.
