Black History Month: Kara Walker
If this artist were a product at the supermarket, she would come with a warning label. Seriously, though, if you are triggered by depictions of sexual violence or negative stereotypes, maybe you should skip this post.
Let’s talk about:
Kara Walker is best known for her silhouette installations about anti-Black racism, colonialism, and sexual violence. She also paints and sculpts. In each medium, though, Walker has used stereotypical images of Black people to attack these issues.
Kara Walker, “A Subtlety, or The Marvelous Sugar Baby.” Photo credit: Adjoajo/Wikimedia Commons
Not surprisingly, she’s pissed off a lot of people, including the legendary sculptor Betye Saar, who essentially said Walker’s work demeans the struggles of Black women merely to entertain white people.
I’m not entirely comfortable with Walker’s work, either. Still, I’m drawn to it because of:
The sheer audacity she’s shown throughout her career
The patience and skill necessary to cut the silhouettes, even with support from assistants
The satirical, grandiose titles of her works, which remind me of 19th century carnival barker exaggerations
Walker is a Problematic Fave. I think she intellectualizes the negative stereotypes as fictions with no basis in reality, but I doubt all her collectors do. If I had to choose between, say, having lunch with Walker or lunch with Betye Saar, I’m not sure who I’d pick.
Still with me? Stick around for tomorrow’s inspiring artist.
