Cross in the Crosshairs: Black Visual Biblical Allegory in Mark Doox's Our Lady, Mother of Ferguson and All Those Killed by Gun Violence (2016)

Abstract

ABSTRACT Mary and Jesus typically appear in visual art in one of two scenes: the “Madonna with Christ Child” (“Platytéra”), or “Pietà” (Mary holding Jesus after his crucifixion). Mark Doox’s icon Our Lady, Mother of Ferguson and All Those Killed by Gun Violence (2016) fuses these contrasting narratives by depicting a modern-day crucifixion of the Ferguson Christ Child in front of (or within) his mother’s womb. Doox’s adaptation of ancient iconography and allegory for Mary and Jesus make a poignant statement about today’s threat of gun violence, particularly in black communities. This paper exegetes the icon’s biblical visual allegory by highlighting parallels between the icon, biblical scriptures, visual theologies of the “Platytéra,” “Black Madonna,” and “Pietà,” and the socio-cultural context of this icon following inter-racial violence in Ferguson, Missouri. This paper explores the value that the icon provides for discourse on the intersection of race, theology, and art.