In Seven Days…

“My hope is that In Seven Days... creates a dialogue around all that is possible for our people when we presume the inherent goodness in one another and work in common effort, with a bright optimism and compassionate hearts.”

President Obama, Letter to the National Portrait Gallery, Washington DC,  December 21, 2019 

Between August 2008 and January 2009, Nicola Green witnessed first-hand Barack Obama’s historic journey from presidential candidate to the first African American President of the United States. Across six trips throughout the U.S., she gained unprecedented artistic access to the campaign trail. From the Democratic National Convention nomination speech in Denver, to election night in Chicago, and finally the inauguration in Washington D.C. Working independently and unconstrained by journalistic commission, Green was present as a witness rather than a reporter, moving through rallies, staff spaces, and public gatherings, where she made photographs, sketches, and conversations with citizens, campaign workers, and the press.

Her intention was not to document events as reportage, but to understand why this moment had generated such global resonance and what it might mean for future generations. This perspective became deeply personal. Reflecting on her experience as a mother of children of mixed heritage, Green began to consider questions of representation, inheritance, and visibility. She later recalled: “I began to think deeply… how my children would experience the world differently to me because of the colour of their skin… and what this period in time would mean for future generations.” Her role evolved into that of a committed witness—someone recording not only events, but their emotional and historical weight.

A key moment in this trajectory came when she attended Barack Obama’s speech marking the 45th anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” address, situating the campaign within a longer arc of civil rights history. Over time, she recognised that the full significance of Obama’s rise could only be understood retrospectively, after sustained reflection on the material she had gathered.

The resulting body of work, In Seven Days…, emerged years later as a meditation on cycles of change, collective action, and the idea that the seemingly impossible can be achieved. It captures a period defined by intense optimism and the urgent demand for racial equality at the highest level of political power. The series reflects on participation, hope, and the fragile momentum of historical transformation, while also asking what it means to witness history as it unfolds.

Described by The Metropolitan Museum of Art as “an artistic and historic masterpiece,” In Seven Days… continues to operate as a living inquiry into race, democracy, heritage, and representation. The work is held in major institutional collections including the National Portrait Gallery (Smithsonian Institution, Washington D.C.), The Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York), The Library of Congress (Washington D.C.), the International Slavery Museum (Liverpool), and the Walker Art Gallery (Liverpool), underscoring its enduring significance as both artwork and historical testimony.