Monster

Year1988/2019
MaterialGelatin silver print mounted to aluminum
Dimensions169.7 x 120.7 cm
Year of acquisition2019
Inventory numberUAB 1233
On viewCurrently not exhibited
Copyright© Arthur Jafa. Photo: Haydar Koyupinar, Bayerische Staatsgemäldesammlungen, Munich

More about the artwork

Like many of Jafa’s works, his memorable self-portrait “Monster” also represents an examination of racism in the USA. Through the title, he marks the Black subject as primitive, fear-inducing, monstrous – a deep-seated stereotype that still influences people’s perceptions and actions to this day. One way of getting away from these stereotypes is empowering oneself by creating one’s own image. Jafa takes the way he wants to be seen into his own hands, literally. This is also reflected in his self-assured gaze straight into the camera.