In conjunction with the retrospective of Cox at Guild Hall, which has been extended until September 18, Dropshop will release two iconic photographs, including The Signing, that speak to freedom across the decades.
Renee Cox, said: “For the past 30 years I have used my work to change stereotypes about black people. I use self-portraiture, scale, and my authentic self to flip the script, challenge social norms, question power dynamics, and advocate for the liberation of marginalized groups. Showing large-scale images, of a powerful black woman, as a superhero or as God himself, helps to reframe the historical rendering of black narratives. From the beginning, I was only interested in creating images that were uplifting and empowering. My Dropshop project “Beyond Liberty” frames this conversation through some of my most iconic work, from my earliest days behind a camera to my most recent projects. The two works I have chosen to propose are iconic and stylized versions of Black Brilliance with the appropriate theme of freedom. I hope these works spark further conversations about race, gender, and identity in the context of freedom and self-expression".
Renée Cox (born 1960 in Colgate, Jamaica; lives in New York) creates photographs, collages and installations that draw on art history, fashion photography and popular culture. Her work invokes a critical vision of female sexuality, beauty, power and heroism that informs her interdisciplinary process. Inspired by critical eras and artistic styles, her works are often reimaginings of art history, ranging from the Italian Renaissance to Cubism to traditional West African art.
Cox uses a wide range of photographic styles from fashion, German portraiture and the Harlem Renaissance
Cox's work challenges how women are viewed with respect to time, place, and the intangible spaces between representation and reality. Renée Cox received her BA from Syracuse University (Syracuse, NY) and her MFA from the School of Visual Arts. She participated in the Whitney Museum of American Art, Independent Study Program. His work has been included in solo and group exhibitions at major institutions globally, including Spelman College Museum of Fine Arts, Tate Liverpool, New Museum of Contemporary Art, Brooklyn Museum), Harvard University and the Whitney Museum of American Art. She has been an associate professor at Columbia University and has lectured at Yale College of Art, New York University, and Parsons School of Design.
About Dropshop
Dropshop's limited-edition releases of primary market artworks and objects are exclusive to the digital platform of the company and conceived in collaboration with artists, collaborators and brands that shape contemporary culture. Items are available via an e-commerce model “buy now” in time. By redefining the dynamics of the traditional art market framework, Dropshop's goal is to connect artists, galleries, curators, institutions and non-profit organizations with a global community of collectors. Additionally, creators will receive a resale royalty commission for any work purchased from Dropshop that is subsequently re-stocked at Phillips, an industry first.
