Kara Walker
Libertine Alighting the World
There’s a lot of scary shit going around right now. Some of it’s catchy, like memes with truisms about the Earth trying to evict humans, and visual metaphors for which unsavory beasts bear the closest resemblance to various politicians. Some of it’s not-so-light.
Like a dubstep bass note, the art world is throbbing with an inexorable voice that cuts through the noise of natural and political disasters. The voice of powerhouse Kara Walker seizes your attention, and you had better believe it’s in your own best interests not to fight it.
According to Vogue, Walker’s show at Sikkema Jenkins & Co. in New York City “was a sensation before it even opened,” on September 8 (closing on October 14), but the idea of a sensation implies that something is both new and prone to fading. Walker’s work is deeper than that, and is rooted in centuries of injustice, racism, misogyny, and the denial that surrounds them. To call her an “it girl” of the art world would be a cardinal sin.
Frankly, even this delicate attempt to put the gravity of her work into words feels wrong, so let’s put it this way:
If you often choose tunnel vision, orgasms and long swills of strong drinks as distractions from post-November 2016 reality, you should know that Kara Walker doesn’t have time for that – and her artwork will remind you that you that you don’t either.
All you have to do is open your eyes and see for yourself.
A Spectacle, 2017
Sumi ink and collage on paper
92.25 x 72 inches (234.3 x 182.9 cm)
All artwork © Kara Walker, courtesy of Sikkema Jenkins & Co., New York.
Bitter Pill, 2017
Chine collé, collage, and mixed media on paper
40.25 x 26.5 x 1.25 inches (102.2 x 67.3 x 3.2 cm)
All artwork © Kara Walker, courtesy of Sikkema Jenkins & Co., New York.
Brand X (Slave Market Painting), 2017
Oil stick on canvas
78.125 x 127.5 inches (198.4 x 323.9 cm
All artwork © Kara Walker, courtesy of Sikkema Jenkins & Co., New York.
Cartoon Study for Brand X, 2017
Oil stick, oil medium, raw pigment on linen
14 x 10 inches (35.6 x 25.4 cm)
All artwork © Kara Walker, courtesy of Sikkema Jenkins & Co., New York.
Christ’s Entry into Journalism, 2017
Sumi ink and collage on paper
140 x 196 inches (355.6 x 497.8 cm)
All artwork © Kara Walker, courtesy of Sikkema Jenkins & Co., New York.
Dredging the Quagmire (Bottomless Pit), 2017
Oil stick and Sumi ink on paper collaged on linen
Triptych, 90 x 216 inches (228.6 x 548.6 cm), overall
All artwork © Kara Walker, courtesy of Sikkema Jenkins & Co., New York.
Initiates with Desecrated Body, 2017
Watercolor and collage on paper
40.25 x 26.5 inches (102.2 x 67.3 cm)
All artwork © Kara Walker, courtesy of Sikkema Jenkins & Co., New York.
Libertine Alighting the World , 2017
Sumi ink and collage on paper
95 x 72 inches (241.3 x 182.9 cm)
All artwork © Kara Walker, courtesy of Sikkema Jenkins & Co., New York.
Paradox of the Negro Burial Ground, 2017
Oil stick, collage, and mixed media on paper
30.25 x 22.75 inches (76.8 x 57.8 cm)
All artwork © Kara Walker, courtesy of Sikkema Jenkins & Co., New York.
The Pool Party of Sardanapalus (after Delacroix, Kienholz), 2017
Sumi ink and collage on paper
125.5 x 140 inches (318.8 x 355.6 cm) All artwork © Kara Walker, courtesy of Sikkema Jenkins & Co., New York.
Rebel Flag (with Ghosts), 2017
Watercolor and collage on paper
40.25 x 26.5 inches (102.2 x 67.3 cm)
All artwork © Kara Walker, courtesy of Sikkema Jenkins & Co., New York.
Slaughter of the Innocents (They Might be Guilty of Something), 2017
Cut paper on canvas
79 x 220 inches (200.7 x 558.8 cm)
All artwork © Kara Walker, courtesy of Sikkema Jenkins & Co., New York.
Spooks, 2017
Oil stick and Sumi ink on paper collaged on linen
90 x 72 inches (228.6 x 182.9 cm)
All artwork © Kara Walker, courtesy of Sikkema Jenkins & Co., New York.
The (Private) Memorial Garden of Grandison Harris, 2017
Oil stick and Sumi ink on paper collaged on linen
Diptych, 90 x 144 inches (228.6 x 365.8 cm), overall
All artwork © Kara Walker, courtesy of Sikkema Jenkins & Co., New York.
U.S.A. Idioms, 2017
Sumi ink and collage on paper
140.125 x 176.625 inches (355.9 x 448.6 cm)
All artwork © Kara Walker, courtesy of Sikkema Jenkins & Co., New York.
The Laundress (is Done), 2017
Watercolor and collage on paper
40.25 x 26.5 inches (102.2 x 67.3 cm)
All artwork © Kara Walker, courtesy of Sikkema Jenkins & Co., New York.
