Kara Walker, A Subtlety (2014) all images via Osman Can Yerebakan for Art Observed

Since her debut at The Drawing Center in 1994, Kara Walker has been one of the most prolific American artists of African descent, delivering an ambitious oeuvre on the politics of race, gender and identity. As with contemporaries such as Lorna Simpson and Mickalene Thomas, who address similar subject matter, the artist has continuously mined history to reveal the untold micro-histories of those that are neglected and enslaved, reflecting on the representation of Black history in the U.S. and abroad. Her infamous cut-paper silhouettes narrating the stories of anguish and abuse in African-American history have earned the California-born, New York based artist a singular position in the contemporary art dialogue.

Kara Walker, A Subtlety (2014) (more…)

Kara Walker is profiled in the Economist this week, exploring the artist’s current installation at the Domino sugar factory, and the difficulties in keeping the sugar coated works together in various conditions.   “No one works with sugar,” says curator Nato Thompson. “Now we know why.” (more…)