Hank Willis Thomas, “Unbranded: A Century of White Women, 1915-2015”

Unpacking the racial subtext of print advertising is the forte of this African-African artist, whose photo appropriations subvert the way Madison Avenue uses people of color to sell products. Stripping away all traces of branding, Thomas exposes these images as constructs of the white imagination. In his latest show, Willis picks through the 20th century to find ads featuring Caucasian women, revealing in the process how they've functioned as a sexually fraught flashpoint for America's racial divide.