Artist parodies ads to bring awareness

[Hank Willis Thomas]' pieces, a short film and a large photograph, deal with the 2000 murder of his cousin, Songha, as his friends were robbed outside Club Evolution in Philadelphia. Based on these real events, "Winter in America" is a stop-motion animation film Thomas made in collabo...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inOakland tribune (Oakland, Calif. 1991)
Main Author Goldsmith, Meredith
Format Newspaper Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Oakland, Calif Bay Area News Group 30.07.2005
Subjects
Thomas, Hank Willis
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Summary:[Hank Willis Thomas]' pieces, a short film and a large photograph, deal with the 2000 murder of his cousin, Songha, as his friends were robbed outside Club Evolution in Philadelphia. Based on these real events, "Winter in America" is a stop-motion animation film Thomas made in collaboration with artist and longtime friend Kambui Olujimi. The same G.I. Joe action figures Thomas played with while growing up in New York are brought to life to re- enact the last night of Songha's life. Catching our attention as an advertisement would, the piece sends a pointed message about how violence destroys real lives. By using the credit card campaign as a backdrop, Thomas highlights the status- conscious drive of the assailants who killed Songha over the gold chain. And even if such senseless violence does not often reach us individually, advertising and consumerism are something that reach all of us daily.
ISSN:1068-5936