The artwork, titled “The Liberation of Aunt Jemima,” was created by Betye Saar in 1972. This piece, executed using assemblage, is associated with the Feminist Art and Postcolonial art movements.
“The Liberation of Aunt Jemima” by Betye Saar is a powerful assemblage that critiques and transforms the racist and stereotypical image of Aunt Jemima, a caricature rooted in Black servitude. The artwork features a figurine of Aunt Jemima adorned in exaggerated caricatured attire, with a broom in one hand and a rifle in the other, symbolizing domestic servitude and resistance. Behind the figure are repeated images of Aunt Jemima’s face, once an emblem of a brand of pancake mix, serving to highlight the pervasive racial stereotyping in consumer culture. Saar’s assemblage boldly reclaims the narrative, transforming a symbol of oppression into one of empowerment and defiance.
