Zachary Fabri

Aureola (Black Presidents) examines representations of black presidents on television and film, inherently raising questions about the role of race in current American politics.

Various external light sources were used to produce the golden auras of the work’s title, creating a sacred and prophetic effect on each black president. Although the work was created during Barack Obama’s second presidential term in 2012, many of the films I reference were produced before his first term, such as the racist musical-comedy “Rufus Jones for President” in 1933, which starred an eight-year-old Sammy Davis Jr. A more recent film from 2009 is the apocalyptic thriller “2012”, in which Danny Glover was nominated for an NAACP Image Award for his portrayal as the president. The remaining seven actors in the grid are Richard Pryor, Dave Chappelle, Morgan Freeman, Chris Rock, Danny Glover, Dennis Haysbert, Tommy Lister, and Terry Alan Crews.