Kara Walker
(American, b. 1969)
Presenting Negro Scenes Drawn Upon My Passage through the South and Reconfigured for the Benefit of Enlightened Audiences Wherever Such May Be Found, By Myself, Missus K.E.B. Walker, Colored, 1997.
This particular work by Kara Walker is currently on display at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago as a part of their exhibition, “Artists in Depth: Works from the MCA Collection”. Walking into the room that houses this work, the black cut-out silhouettes stuck on white walls strikes you as different from the other works that are full of color and distinguished from the backdrop. Even though each figure is separated from another there is a sense of oneness in this work, that the work would only be complete if each of the cut outs were placed together in the particular order as is dictated by the artist. From afar the work resembles a black and white wall painting that is a permanent fixture in the wall as opposed to the easily removable cut outs it is made up of. Just like the form of the work that requires close attention to discover, the work itself demands consideration to be understood and appreciated.
The use of black paper is apt in bringing out the central theme that concerns Walker, racism against African Americans. However, the use of only one colored paper restricts several aspects of the work and Walker creatively finds solutions around it. The shadow like form of the figures cause only, as shadows do, partial revelation of facial features, colors, details in clothing and even hairstyles. The use of stereotypes of mammies, pickaninnies, sambos and slave mistresses is one of Walker’s answers to the self imposed restriction of black paper. By playing on characteristics associated with these stereotypes like fat lips, the typical clothing adorned by their typical body shapes and also the way their hair is worn she transforms these figures from shadows to people who make you imagine a story. What is impressive about the artist is her ability to set the social and geographical backdrop without the use of colors and distinct shapes. Instead by displaying washing lines, the barrels used for washing clothes and the houses with smoke clogged chimneys she showcases the antebellum south.
There is a fair amount of absurdity in the contrast of the elements that are put together to make one work. The girl winding up a sweating slave and playing with him and owning him as she would a toy shows the dehumanizing of the slaves during this period. This is contrasted to the affluent life of the slave master and mistress who are joyously dancing. The representation of excretory tasks and cleaning of oneself is displayed in a disgusting manner as shown by the three children in a row examining each other’s naked behind and being repulsed by the sight. There is certain eeriness in the depiction of unkempt nature that makes it look unnatural like the dead wine hangings. A great proportion of the work is focused around women making them and their life, freedom and rights her main concerns. The depiction of child labor is also saddening with scenes such as the master pushing a young boy to work. The horse on its back with two women next to it, the man hanging on the washing line and a civil war soldier running by himself seem disparate but are represent different aspects of their society. Kara Walker does not put the displays of self hygiene, excretion, human sexuality and relations, the loss of innocence in children and the loss of the independence of humans in any particular order as a result of which you have to make the effort to remember and carefully observe the previous figures.
Looking at the exhibit, you cannot help but think about the process of making the cut out. There is an inherent violence in the act of cutting something, in this case the black paper. There are traces of this violence that permeate through this work and contribute to its boldness. This shows through in the sharp well defined edges of each figure and yet Walker manages to maneuver the scissors so well as to produce delicate looking parts like a thin washing line or sweat drops. The cut outs compel you to think of the hand behind the work because it could not have been made otherwise.
Through this art work Kara Walker is bringing the past back to life. It makes us view elements from the past through a modern perspective making the work contemporary and relatable. Walking into the room of black and white, we are compelled to observe the world and our society to be one of extremes, to be either black or white. This work is, in many ways, like a caricature. It distorts and exaggerates the features of individuals and society as a whole and challenges us to look beyond the obvious, beyond the figures. Her display of contrasting emotions of anger versus happiness, pleasure versus pain, attraction versus repulsion is overwhelming but the work guarantees the arousal of such feelings within us, whether or not we like the artwork. The imperfect balance in her depiction and imagination of Antebellum South, the uniqueness and simplicity of the mode of expression and along with the degree of derogation make it a worthwhile visit.
References:
http://www.mcachicago.org/Book/Walker.html ( accessed on the 1st of November, 2008)
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