Nikko Washington USA, b. 1993
Jack II, 2021
Oil and spray paint on canvas
40 x 30 x 2 in
101.6 x 76.2 x 5.1 cm
101.6 x 76.2 x 5.1 cm
8337
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Jack II is a portrayal of Jack Johnson, the famous Black boxer who fought in the 1910 title fight against James J. Jeffries, a.k.a. The Great White Hope. Johnson’s nickname...
Jack II is a portrayal of Jack Johnson, the famous Black boxer who fought in the 1910 title fight against James J. Jeffries, a.k.a. The Great White Hope. Johnson’s nickname was the "Galveston Giant," a reference to his birthplace, the gulf shore community of Galveston, Texas. In what is still considered one of the biggest moments in sports history, and in US history in general, Johnson defeated Jeffries to become the first Black heavyweight boxing champion of the world. He achieved this feat during the height of the Jim Crow era, sparking riots across the country by angry, racist, White Americans. The subject of fighting appears frequently in Nikko Washington’s work as a means of archiving and contextualizing the present through the lens of mythology and storytelling. A trained martial artist and boxer, he portrays legendary fighters like Muhammad Ali, Floyd Mayweather, and Mike Tyson as larger than life figures emulating the gladiators of the past. Boxing is also one lens through which Washington addresses ideas surrounding racial identity and equity. Referring to the fight between Johnson and Jeffries, Washington says, “With racial issues, American nature sort of has this caveat of both sides betting on each other to lose.”