Renee Cox

Renee Cox is perhaps Jamaica's foremost contemporary photographer. Educated in the USA, her images explore issues of identity through the use of her own shifting personas such as female super heroes Raje, Nanny and Aunt Jemima. Additionally, she challenges perceptions of the Caribbean  and island life by exploring stereotypes that inform visitor's fantasies. Cox is not afraid to be controversial and she regularly exploits norms of sexuality by including her own naked body in daring and dramatically re-constructed settings. Perhaps her most debated work is Yo Mama's Last Supper in which she portrays herself as a modern feminized Christ surrounded by her disciples. The photograph drew the ire of religious communities (especially in New York when it was shown at the Brooklyn Museum) and raised questions related to art, ethics and public funding.