Visual Research Project:

Racism and Christianity

Grace Capps
 Define
Racism (noun): a belief that race is a fundamental determinant of human traits and capacities and that

racial differences produce an inherent superiority of a particular race-

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/racism

Christianity (noun): the religion derived from Jesus Christ, based on the Bible as sacred scripture, and

professed by Eastern, Roman Catholic, and Protestant bodies-

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Christianity
 Relevance & Importance
There is no doubt that racism is deeply rooted in America despite it being ignored and
overlooked. As someone who considers themself a Christian, growing up I was raised
upon values that “uphold my faith.” One that has stood out to me all my life is to love
thy neighbor. This is the reason that, at an older age, recently I have been questioning
the Christian faith in today's society, one that is filled with hate and prejudice towards
those who do not look like us on the outside. White Supremacy has gained a platform
through the Christian Faith, even though the morals stated in the Bible do not represent
such prejudice. Christian leaders, as well as followers of the faith, like myself, have a
responsibility to step up to the plate and question the contradiction running through us
as a society and the American Story. Furthermore, I find it very difficult to navigate my
faith in the world where I increasingly notice continued racism and discrimination.
America is “plagued” by this issue and its growing relevance in today's time is
something that can't be ignored.
 Artist #1- Ephraim Urevbu
Ephraim Urevbu is a nigerian born artist, who came to the United States with a calling to inspire
young people to make change, and he represents this in his art. A handful of his works deal with
spirituality and religion as it relates to racism and hate in America. These works are deeply
personal, as Ephraim is a very faithful person, and they are a call to action.

This piece is representative of the shooting and killing of nine

african americans who were gathered for a bible study at the
Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston,
South Carolina. An obvious act of white supremacy and
nationalism, the shooter, Dylann Roof, used this bible study to
murder these nine black citizens because african americans are
“taking over the country.” This horrifying even inspired this piece
that shows the bloodshed held under the cross, calling for
attention to be brought to the roles that white supremacy has
taken up in the church and the violence and hate that it enables.
This piece on the right, titled Unholy Union, depicts the Bible verse
Matthew 23, which talks about the scribes and pharisees not embodying
their god given roles and failing to lead the people. The cross and verse
are displayed over the american flag in black and white, covered by a layer
of what seems like figures hanging or floating around. This speaks to the
qualities of judgement, mercy, and faith being ignored by leaders, which is
ever so relevant to the Christian Faith today when it comes to the ongoing
racism in America.

The piece on the left, titled At the Altar,

shows the American flag hanging on the
cross, with coins and american dollars
building it up from the bottom. This could
represent the the corruption churches have
experienced in this country as a result of
rising power of the rich and wealthy. It could
also represent the systematic racism in the
church full of well off white citizens, who
dictate the processes of today's church.
Artist #2- Melissa Tshikamba
Melissa Tshikamba, an illustrator, uses her pieces to draw attention to
the disconnect between religion and representation. Growing up a
member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, she
recalls confusion as to why the depictions of religious figures, like
Jesus, as well as other religious art did not represent people of her
skin color. One could imagine that this would make it extremely difficult
to create a connection with the religion you identify as if people like
you were not represented or considered, which is something that is so
wrong with Christianity.

This piece, titled light of life, may remind you of something similar to
a god-like figure, or similar to the way a portrait of Jesus or God may
have been painted. This piece uplifts african americans and
encourages them to believe that they are a considerable part of their
community ands religion, although not represented in art throughout
history.
To the left, the oil painting named Auset and Heru is a representation of
the daughter of Nut and Geb, egyptian deities. Auset is the mother of
Heru, and they are painted here as egyptian royalty. This could remind
modern christians of Jesus and his Mother mary. Once again, this
painting takes a spin the ways traditional religious art depicts white
people and uses that to create representation for people of color.

To the right, you see Creation of Eve,

another take on a traditional biblical story
of white interpretation. Tshikamba also
places a lot of importance on the
empowerment of women in her work, so
this piece perfectly recognizes all of the
things he is wanted to speak for. Eve
represented as a black woman in this
piece gives young african american girls
something to see themselves
represented in their faith, which is not
something that Christianity has a lot of
today.
 Artist #3- Kara Walker
While Kara Walker does not always highlight religion in
her work, she is an extremely gifted visionary and brings
to light the prejudice in America in ways that you cannot
look away from. Often using black silhouettes in her
works, Walker often hints to “deeply entrenched Christian
ideologies.” She also creates pieces advocating for history
and the plagued way in which it was taught, and fighting
against internalized racism. This piece to the right is titled
Submission. It is a play on Walkers usual use of
silhouettes, also depicting a landscape of a barren,
scorched earth. This is representing of african americans
prevailing through racism and staying honest and
principled in a corrupted society.
This piece, titled Easter Parade in the Old Country, tells the story of easter and the
rebirth of Christ in a rather disturbing and sad manner, depicting the cruel white
supremacist ideoligues founded in Christinity. The celebration of a savior is turned
into a dark struggle between forces in this work that speak to the ways in which
America has continuously persecuted and discriminated against people of color,
even when it came to a religion that preaches to love everyone the same. This is
the “nihilistic view” in which Kara Walker sees and characterizes America.
This piece by Del Parson, an artist who is
known for his representations of Christ and
other biblical figures, is titled He is Risen,
and it depicts a white Jesus post
resurrection. All of his works follow this same
theme of depicting Jesus and Christianity as
a white dominated religion, showing no
representation of people of color. Lots of
historic and traditional religious art applies
the same characteristic, ignoring the notion
to “love thy neighbor” and completely
disregarding the participation of african
americans in Christianity.
Another depiction of Jesus as a white
male, this piece is titled The Light of the
World, and it is done by Walter Rane,
another well known figure among religious
art. Like that of
Del Parson, all of Rane’s depictions of
religious scenes and figures are
representative of the white population, and
the white population only. These two artists
are among the many, many biased
renditions of Christianity in the world, and
these characteristics of religious art are so
accurate to how Christianity as a religion is
one that is hypocritical in its mission to
love everyone as they are.
God’s Very Good Idea, written by Trillia Newbell and illustrated by
Catalina Echeverri, and a children's picture book that does not shy
away from the conversation of race and religion, yet it still maintains a
positive outlook and is comfortable for kids to read. The illustrations
are incredibly modern and colorful, pulling them off of the page and
into your mind throughout the book. The publisher of this book also
makes it a point to include characters of all colors throughout all of
their books and promotes diversity as their themes. This is a great
source for african american children to have so that they can see from
a young age that they are represented in their faith.
 Just Mercy

Just Mercy is an award winning book that was adapted into a

very impactful and powerful film. Written by Bryan Stevenson,
this story is an account of stevensons own career and life as
an african american lawyer, who eventually went on to create
the Equal Justice Initiative. Starring in this film are popularly
known Michael B. Jordan and Jamie Foxx, who represent
Stevenson and a death row inmate he was defending. Walter
McMillian was wrongly wrongly convicted of the murder of a
young white woman under a broken justice system purely
because of his skin color. Throughout this film adaptation, you
are introduced to a large group of death row inmates who
were either innocent or had commited a crime not worthy of
invoking the death penalty. Timely and effective legal
assistance was lacking for all of these inmates leading to their
conviction and some of their deaths, which is where
Stevenson stepped in.
 Just Mercy (continued)
Although this film is not centered around chritianity and
racism as related to each other, it is heavily packed with
biblical references and an overall sense of strong
spirituality, coming from Brian Stevenson’s strong faith
in real life. Stevenson was also the author of the
Foreword of America’s Original Sin by Jim Wallis, a
book speaking to Christians and leaders to promote
change and acknowledge systemic racism in the
church. From all of this, we can see that Bryan
Stevenson is a very successful and focused advocate
for Christianity to take a step back from the racism
lingering within its roots. Just Mercy is a very powerful
visual that shows encounters between faithful, african
american men, fighting for equality even though their
religion states that they have that.
Theaster Gates
Theaster Gates is a “social practice
installation” artist, who takes raw
materials to create sculptures, that in
turn will represent hope within urban
communities. Gates was inspired by the
music in black churches, and while he
supposedly does not go to church
anymore, he says that “the church is
always in him.” These roots have made
way for Theaster’s journey towards
being an advocate for social progress
through his art.
Sound Cube, 2019 Asphalt painting for Huguenot House
with altar, 2013
James Turrell
James Turrell is an American artist of the Light
and Space movement. His works are meant to
engage viewers into deep thinking and feeling,
pushing their limits and beliefs of human
psychology and perception. His goal with his
works is to “create an experience of wordless
thought.” When all you are given is light in a
blank space, you have no other forms or
objects that capture your focus, forcing
emotional reactions and an out of body viewing
of yourself looking at art. His works are deeply,
deeply spiritual, coming from his roots as a
quaker looking to find the “light within.”
 East Portal, Alpha
Roden Crater by
(east) Tunnel, and
James Turrell
Fumarol Spaces
Nick Cave
Nick cave is an artist that works with sculpture,
figures, and fashion to create beings that
cannot be discriminated upon on basis of their
gener, age, race, etc. These works are often
costumes that turn into performances, which
the artist actually participates in himself, as a
black man longing for equality amongst all in
the changing world. This is a nice artist to wrap
up with, knowing that this conversation about
chrsitianity and racism, and really racsim and
discrimination of all kinds, cannot be kept quiet
any longer, because it gives a sense of
belonging of all kinds through its forms and
media.
Soundsuits, Chicago studio, Akron
Art Museum, and Here Hear at
Cranbrook Art Museum
 References
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https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/racism.
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Portfolio. My Website. (n.d.). Retrieved October 25, 2021, from
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Sette, D. (2017, January 10). In new drawings, Kara Walker traces American histories of
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(n.d.). Retrieved October 26, 2021, from
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O'grady, M. (2019, October 15). Nick Cave is the most joyful, and critical, artist in
America. The New York Times. Retrieved October 27, 2021, from
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