Nicola Green: In Seven Days...

Between 2008 and 2009, British artist Nicola Green witnessed first-hand Barack Obama’s historic journey to the White House. Over the course of six trips across the United States, she gained unprecedented artistic access to his campaign, election, and inauguration. Motivated by her position as a white mother to children of mixed heritage, Green approached this moment not as a commissioned documentarian, but as an independent artist. This unique vantage point allowed her to recognise that it would take generations to fully understand the long term significance of President Obama’s election. She created a vast body of work over many years. The resulting series, In Seven Days…, was hailed by The Metropolitan Museum of Art as “an artistic and historic masterpiece.” It reflects on cycles of change, creating the seemingly impossible, and the often imperceptible implications of this watershed moment. It speaks to questions of history, heritage, democracy, and representation; themes that continue to resonate far beyond the 2008 election. This book offers the first in-depth examination of the complete In Seven Days… series, much of which has remained unpublished until now. Featuring texts by leading voices in art, culture, and politics, it traces the creation of the work while considering its manifold meanings and is a meditation on the enduring legacy of that extraordinary moment for future generations.

Nicola Green (b. 1972) is a British artist and social historian. Green has interdisciplinary approach, working at the intersection of contemporary visual storytelling and traditional portraiture. Green is celebrated for her unique perspective that offers profound insights into the dynamics of legacy and representation and how visual language can spark change. Green assumes the role of witness to momentous global events, creating artworks that preserve and reflect our shared heritage. Her practice explores how art can connect us to the past and illuminate hidden or forgotten histories, capture pivotal moments in the present, and continue to inspire transformative visions for the future. Green co-founded the Diaspora Pavilion at the 57th Venice Biennale 2017, established the Khadija Saye Arts programme at IntoUniversity 2018, and co-founded The Sophia Point Rainforest Research Centre 2019. She was a Principal Artist for The World Reimagined in 2023. Her work is held in major permanent collections, including The Obama Presidential Center, Chicago; The National Portrait Gallery, Washington, D.C.; The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; The Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.; The Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool; and the UK Government Art Collection. Barack Hussein Obama II is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American president. Katherine Blood is a writer, curator and former Curator of Fine Prints at the Library of Congress Ben Rhodes is a writer, political commentator and former Deputy National Security Advisor for Strategic Communications and Speechwriting under Obama Sarah Lewis is an author and academic professor of Humanities and African and African-American studies at Harvard University Louise Bernard is founding Director of the Obama Presidential Center Museum, Chicago Flavia Frigeri is the Chanel Curator for the Collection at the National Portrait Gallery, London Suki Kim is an essayist, investigative journalist, and award-winning novelist Ekow Eshun is a renowned curator, writer, and broadcaster Aaron Rosen is an author and academic professor at Wesley Theological Seminary, Washington D.C. and King’s College London Hans Ulrich Obrist (b. 1968) is a world-renowned curator and the artistic director of the Serpentine Galleries in London. Alongside his curatorial practice, Obrist has written extensively on and around contemporary art, with a particular interest in the interview format. Jana Degrott is a social entrepreneur, founder of Be Human and Real Impact Hub, and former Obama Leader