Hank Willis Thomas

Absolut No Return, 2008

Hank Willis Thomas’s 2008 work *Absolut No Return* offers a powerful commentary on the transatlantic slave trade through a reimagined image of the “Door of No Return” at Cape Coast Castle in Ghana. Shaped like an Absolut vodka bottle, the image draws a provocative link between global commerce and historical trauma. By fusing a symbol of contemporary consumer culture with a site of deep historical pain, Thomas underscores the role of trade—including the exchange of liquor—in enabling slavery, inviting reflection on the enduring legacy of exploitation and commodification.