With his characteristic sharpness and dark humor, the series in the book raise complex questions about identity and race in America. Hank Willis Thomas first gained wide recognition for his highly provocative series B®ANDED, which addresses how commercial branding in America is geared toward specific racial groups and raises questions about visual culture, the power of logos, and media representation of African Americans. Other series include Winter In America, a collaborative work with Kambui Olujimi, focusing on the epidemic of black on black violence in America, and his most recent body of work, ?Unbranded: Reflections in Black by Corporate America,? where the artist appropriates magazine advertisements that are marketed to an African American audience or feature black subjects, and strips away all the logos and text, leaving the image to speak for itself.
Aperture?a not-for-profit foundation dedicated to advancing photography in all its forms?was founded in 1952 by six gifted individuals: photographers Ansel Adams, Dorothea Lange, Barbara Morgan, and Minor White; historian Beaumont Newhall; and writer/curator Nancy Newhall. With scant resources, these visionary artists created a new periodical, Aperture magazine, to serve photographers and photography enthusiasts worldwide. As the medium flourished, so too did Aperture Foundation, expanding to include the subsequent publication of books (over four hundred to date); limited-edition photographs and portfolios; artist lectures and symposia; and a traveling exhibitions program that since its inception has presented over one hundred exhibitions at major museums and cultural institutions throughout the United States and abroad.
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