28719801
Description
Mind Map by Joseph Gianotti, updated more than 1 year ago
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Created by Joseph Gianotti
about 3 years ago
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Kara Walker
- Basic Information
- Kara Walker was born in Stockton, California in 1969 to a secretary mother and painter father. She
grew up in an integrated neighborhood, but was transplanted to Georgia at the age of 13 when her
father accepted a position at the University of Georgia.
- Walker states that she was berated with slurs and insults in her new town, which also was known for
holding Klu Klux Klan rallies. She received her BFA from the Atlanta College of Art and her MFA from
the Rhode Island School of Design.
- Walker states that she was berated with slurs and insults in her new town, which also was known for
holding Klu Klux Klan rallies. She received her BFA from the Atlanta College of Art and her MFA from
the Rhode Island School of Design.
- Kara Walker was born in Stockton, California in 1969 to a secretary mother and painter father. She
grew up in an integrated neighborhood, but was transplanted to Georgia at the age of 13 when her
father accepted a position at the University of Georgia.
- Art Career
- While in college at the Atlanta College of Art, Walker expressed
hesitation at approaching the topic of race in her art for fear of coming
off as “obvious” or “typical”. She gained notoriety in 1994, when one of
her murals entitled “Gone, An Historical Romance of a Civil War as It
Occurred Between the Dusky Thighs of One Young Negress and Her
Heart.”
- This piece, made up of silhouettes cut from black paper and pasted onto gallery walls, takes on
shocking themes of sex and slavery. It was shown at the Drawing Center in New York City.
- After this show, she gained a following, though not an entirely positive one. She was criticized heavily
by other Black artists (whose careers dated to the 1960s) for utilizing racial stereotypes about the
African American community. They perceived the use of these stereotypes as opportunistic, and as
an attempt to insert herself into a racist, white-dominated are world.
- In 1997, artists even worked in conjunction with museums to try to boycott Walker’s art. Her
marriage to a white man was also a subject of the attack, which Walker responded to in a series of
drawings entitled “Do You Like Creme in Your Coffee and Chocolate in Your Milk?”.
- This series of drawings demonstrates the versatility of perspective with which she addresses the
topic of race, taking on a variety of different “personas” which define her experience as a black
woman in America.
- This series of drawings demonstrates the versatility of perspective with which she addresses the
topic of race, taking on a variety of different “personas” which define her experience as a black
woman in America.
- In 1997, artists even worked in conjunction with museums to try to boycott Walker’s art. Her
marriage to a white man was also a subject of the attack, which Walker responded to in a series of
drawings entitled “Do You Like Creme in Your Coffee and Chocolate in Your Milk?”.
- After this show, she gained a following, though not an entirely positive one. She was criticized heavily
by other Black artists (whose careers dated to the 1960s) for utilizing racial stereotypes about the
African American community. They perceived the use of these stereotypes as opportunistic, and as
an attempt to insert herself into a racist, white-dominated are world.
- This piece, made up of silhouettes cut from black paper and pasted onto gallery walls, takes on
shocking themes of sex and slavery. It was shown at the Drawing Center in New York City.
- In 1997, she received a John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur
Foundation “genius grant”. Her art has been featured in galleries
worldwide, and in 2002, she traveled to São Paulo Biennial to serve as
the U.S. representative. In 2006, her exhibition After the Deluge was
featured in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, juxtaposing the
museum’s pieces featuring the power of water with her own works,
drawing inspiration from the recent Hurricane Katrina.
- It wasn’t until 2014 that Walker ventured into sculpture, debuting a
sphinx-like “mammy” sculpture entitled A Subtlety, or the Marvelous Sugar
Baby at the Domino sugar processing facility which was scheduled for
demolition shortly after the exhibition. This piece showed for 8 weeks, and
garnered 130,000 in its time on display. Like many of her other works, it
raised questions about the intersection of slavery, racial stereotypes, and
the sexualization of women.
- It wasn’t until 2014 that Walker ventured into sculpture, debuting a
sphinx-like “mammy” sculpture entitled A Subtlety, or the Marvelous Sugar
Baby at the Domino sugar processing facility which was scheduled for
demolition shortly after the exhibition. This piece showed for 8 weeks, and
garnered 130,000 in its time on display. Like many of her other works, it
raised questions about the intersection of slavery, racial stereotypes, and
the sexualization of women.
- While in college at the Atlanta College of Art, Walker expressed
hesitation at approaching the topic of race in her art for fear of coming
off as “obvious” or “typical”. She gained notoriety in 1994, when one of
her murals entitled “Gone, An Historical Romance of a Civil War as It
Occurred Between the Dusky Thighs of One Young Negress and Her
Heart.”
- Art Style
- Kara Walker uses a variety of distinct techniques in her works. Some of her most popular have been
silhouettes, which she creates using pieces of cut out black paper or linoleum. She uses the element
of shape to portray racial stereotypes about the appearance of black people.
- She also would use cyclorama, placing her silhouettes and colored
projections in a circular room to surround the viewer.
- The Keys to the Coop is a classic example of Walker’s use of silhouettes. It depicts a young
girl in a raggedy dress holding the head of a chicken, poised to consume it. Her silhouette
has stereotypically black features, and the girl’s tongue is sticking out.
- She is twirling a key, presumably the “keys to the coop” on her
finger. This piece approaches race in many different ways.
Firstly, the piece makes use of many racial stereotypes about
black people. Her hair, lips, and nose are meant to bring the
commonly held stereotype about what “blackness” looks like to
the forefront.
- It also makes shockingly clear the racist attitudes held by many about
black people. The girl is seen consuming a chicken head with her
tongue out as the bird runs away from her, harkening to the idea of
“savagery” that racists have used to defend slavery. The depiction of
the girl eating the chicken head (alongside her raggedy clothing) may
also be in reference to the way which slaves were treated.
- They were regularly underfed and given poor quality food, and were condemned to wearing old,
worn out clothing. The use of the keys also harkens to slavery and a struggle for power, as those with
the “key” were the ones in control. The mention of “coop” brings up images of confinement, a theme
that can easily be associated with slavery.
- They were regularly underfed and given poor quality food, and were condemned to wearing old,
worn out clothing. The use of the keys also harkens to slavery and a struggle for power, as those with
the “key” were the ones in control. The mention of “coop” brings up images of confinement, a theme
that can easily be associated with slavery.
- It also makes shockingly clear the racist attitudes held by many about
black people. The girl is seen consuming a chicken head with her
tongue out as the bird runs away from her, harkening to the idea of
“savagery” that racists have used to defend slavery. The depiction of
the girl eating the chicken head (alongside her raggedy clothing) may
also be in reference to the way which slaves were treated.
- She is twirling a key, presumably the “keys to the coop” on her
finger. This piece approaches race in many different ways.
Firstly, the piece makes use of many racial stereotypes about
black people. Her hair, lips, and nose are meant to bring the
commonly held stereotype about what “blackness” looks like to
the forefront.
- The Keys to the Coop is a classic example of Walker’s use of silhouettes. It depicts a young
girl in a raggedy dress holding the head of a chicken, poised to consume it. Her silhouette
has stereotypically black features, and the girl’s tongue is sticking out.
- She also would use cyclorama, placing her silhouettes and colored
projections in a circular room to surround the viewer.
- Many times, Walker integrates projections into her silhouette works. The purpose of that is when the
viewer enters the room where the work is displayed, their silhouette will be transported into the
scene, leading the viewer to question the ways in which racism affects their lives, whether they are
complicit in the upholding of modern day racist systems or continue to suffer due to the legacy of
slavery.
- Examples of this can be seen in both the Darkytown Rebellion and Hair. Both display the Antebellum
south. There are various figures and “scenes”within the Darkytown Rebellion.
- There are two figures holding flags which look more like sails on
ships, perhaps making mention of the ships which the colonizers
arrived on to the United States or the ships on which slaves were
carried. A woman is seen breastfeeding with her breasts prominently
shown, perhaps bringing attention to the fact that many female
slaves were forced to devote their lives to having and caring for
children which they were forced to carry.
- There are three figures participating in a sexual scene, a theme which is
seen prominently in many of Walker’s works (often placed next to themes
of violence). The figure of a woman can be seen sweeping away a baby’s
leg, perhaps representing a southern wife attempting to hide the evidence
of her husband impregnating a slave.
- As a whole, The Darkytown Rebellion and Hair show disturbing
scenes which are meant to inspire discomfort in the viewer. They
represent the unnerving and inhumane reality that was life as a
slave. By projecting the silhouette of the viewer into the scene,
Walker is not allowing the viewer to comfortably distance
themselves from this reality. Rather, she is making it as inescapable
and horrifying as it was for the slaves.
- As a whole, The Darkytown Rebellion and Hair show disturbing
scenes which are meant to inspire discomfort in the viewer. They
represent the unnerving and inhumane reality that was life as a
slave. By projecting the silhouette of the viewer into the scene,
Walker is not allowing the viewer to comfortably distance
themselves from this reality. Rather, she is making it as inescapable
and horrifying as it was for the slaves.
- There are three figures participating in a sexual scene, a theme which is
seen prominently in many of Walker’s works (often placed next to themes
of violence). The figure of a woman can be seen sweeping away a baby’s
leg, perhaps representing a southern wife attempting to hide the evidence
of her husband impregnating a slave.
- There are two figures holding flags which look more like sails on
ships, perhaps making mention of the ships which the colonizers
arrived on to the United States or the ships on which slaves were
carried. A woman is seen breastfeeding with her breasts prominently
shown, perhaps bringing attention to the fact that many female
slaves were forced to devote their lives to having and caring for
children which they were forced to carry.
- Examples of this can be seen in both the Darkytown Rebellion and Hair. Both display the Antebellum
south. There are various figures and “scenes”within the Darkytown Rebellion.
- Walker’s piece: Untitled (Emancipation Proclamation) is an example of one of her drawings. While its
composition is a lot more simple compared to the aforementioned works, it still carries a very
pungent message regarding racial stereotypes.
- It depicts a black woman about to step into an open bear trap. This woman’s features
are exaggerated, and she is depicted in a way commonly seen in much anti-black art.
The piece has its title and the word “gingerly” which means carefully.
- Not much analysis, by art critics or by Walker herself, has been made public. One
analysis of this piece may be that despite how carefully or “gingerly” a black
person navigates society, there are still many “bear traps” left behind from our
nation’s racist history which they may fall into, ultimately harming them.
- Not much analysis, by art critics or by Walker herself, has been made public. One
analysis of this piece may be that despite how carefully or “gingerly” a black
person navigates society, there are still many “bear traps” left behind from our
nation’s racist history which they may fall into, ultimately harming them.
- It depicts a black woman about to step into an open bear trap. This woman’s features
are exaggerated, and she is depicted in a way commonly seen in much anti-black art.
The piece has its title and the word “gingerly” which means carefully.
- Kara Walker uses a variety of distinct techniques in her works. Some of her most popular have been
silhouettes, which she creates using pieces of cut out black paper or linoleum. She uses the element
of shape to portray racial stereotypes about the appearance of black people.
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