Narrative of Double Minority in the Art of Lorna Simpson, A Semiotic Analysis

Feminist campaigns have been a main force behind major historical and societal changes for women rights. Black Feminism is a school of thought stating that sexism, gender identity, racism and class oppressions are inextricably bound together. The way these concepts relate to each other is called intersectionality, a term coined by Crenshaw. Double minority refers to a person with two devalued identities. Feminist art tends to change the women’s image in art world positively, in hope to lead to equality. This research has attempted to analyzethe symbols and semiotic concepts in artworks and style of Lorna Simpson, a female artist who was born in 1960. The main purpose of this survey is to characterize her personal parole, as a narrator of double minority,in the langue of Feminist art and context of Black Feminism. The selected works of art belong to a four years period of her professional life (1988 - 1991), which coincides with the third wave Feminism. Re-examining photography as a conceptual medium, Simpson’s works remind us of historical ooppressions in the field of gender and race. Textual and visual codes are linked together in her works. Using young African American women as her instant photos’ models, Simpson creates tableaux that utilize repetition and pictorial framing to challenge prejudices and assumptions of gender and race, culturally and historically. Her figures are shown mostly from behind or in fragments, which draws attention to the historical depersonalization and sexualization of coloured women. By combining irritating words with faceless portraits, Simpson calls our attention to the unconscious ways in which people are classified based on physical and cultural attributes. She conveys political messages to destroy the fabricated stereotype of black women and rrestore their identity and position in contemporary society.