Art means too much to me. To be able to articulate something visually is really an important thing. Kara Walker is an internationally renowned contemporary artist, revered for her work which endeavors to capture the emotional landscape of African American history and experience.
With cut paper, film projection, sculpture and mixed media, Walker portrays controversial scenes from the broad spectrum of African American oppression. Kara Walker, Slavery! All cut from black paper by the able hand of Kara Elizabeth Walker, an Emancipated Negress and leader in her Cause , Cut paper on wall, approx. Photo: Florian Kleinefenn. The Drawing Center, New York, Photo: Orcutt Photo. Kara Walker, Insurrection!
Cut paper and projection on wall, approx. Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York, Photo: Ellen Labenski. Cut paper and projection on wall, installation dimensions variable. Kunstverein Hannover, Germany, Photo: Raimund Zakowski.
Cut paper and paint on wall; gouache and ink on paper framed. Installation approx. Works on paper, 7 parts: Photo: Jason Wyche.
Camden Arts Centre, London, Photo: Angus Mill Photography. This nameless genre cast African Americans into one of several pre-made stereotypes, whose pervasiveness in theater, radio, television, film, animation and advertising deeply impacted the American imagination of race. Walker depicts all of these caricatures in the stark contrast of black and whiteβdistilling the complex experience of racism with the simplicity and veiled mystery of black paper silhouettes on a white background.
