Africa Door of No Return
Item
Title
Africa Door of No Return
Description
White door with louvers, doorknob removed. Painted red lettering covers most of the surface, reading horizontally from top to bottom on the horizontal rails: "AFRICA / DOOR - OF / NO - RETURN." On the louvers, reading: "50 / [sad face] / YRS WHY." On the vertical rails, left to right flanking top louvered panel: "SLAVERY / LOST - FREEDOM." On vertical rails, left to right flanking bottom louvered panel: "AGONY - MISERY / DEATH."
Title recalls the Door of No Return, the physical and mythical doors at slave fortresses along the coast of West Africa. Both literal and commemorative, there are Doors of No Return in Gorée, Senegal, and Elmina, Ghana, as well as memorials in Benin and Nigeria.
The other side of the door has painted wooden planks meant to look like prison bars that are dark grey. Written on them are letters in yellow and black paint that read "R-E-P-A-RA-TIONS / CONVICT-LEASE / SYSTEM-200-YRS / JIM / CROW / 200 / WH-Y-U.-S.-A. / S-L-A-V-ERY".
Title recalls the Door of No Return, the physical and mythical doors at slave fortresses along the coast of West Africa. Both literal and commemorative, there are Doors of No Return in Gorée, Senegal, and Elmina, Ghana, as well as memorials in Benin and Nigeria.
The other side of the door has painted wooden planks meant to look like prison bars that are dark grey. Written on them are letters in yellow and black paint that read "R-E-P-A-RA-TIONS / CONVICT-LEASE / SYSTEM-200-YRS / JIM / CROW / 200 / WH-Y-U.-S.-A. / S-L-A-V-ERY".
Subject
Paintings (visual works) See all items with this value
Transatlantic slave trade See all items with this value
Sculpture See all items with this value
Convict Lease System See all items with this value
Jim Crow See all items with this value
Slavery See all items with this value
Creator
Minter, Joe
Language
English
Type
Paintings (visual works) See all items with this value
Assemblages (sculpture) See all items with this value
Format
wooden door
painted. wooden frame and found objects
painted.