Kara Walker is another artist whose work is derived from craft materials. She is known for her large scale tableaux of black cut-paper silhouettes that are influenced by American controversial racial and gender tensions. Her work addresses specific themes of power, history, race, sexuality, repression in a very concise way
Her work I’ve felt has inspired me because of her use of lighting and silhouettes but also in how her concept is the most important aspect of her work.
Her work’s are all beautifully cut and presented and her use of lighting and colour in the background is key to how her work is portrayed.
She draws from historical sources of information relating to racial discrimination and tensions, from slave labour in America, the abuse of Black Workers on farms and the racism that is still apparent today. She creates the silhouettes to depict different scenes of what had happened. These scenes were created by composing the images in reverse in order to flip them over once they are cut out and adhered to paper, canvas, wood, or directly to the gallery wall with wax.
Sarah Kent, Visual Art reviewer writes that ‘Instead of sharing genteel pleasantries, though, she dishes the dirt on the plantation-owning white elite. Her top-hatted gents and southern belles may dance and caper, but they reveal their less amiable side as they or their henchmen abuse, torture and kill the slaves they fear and despise.’ (Sarah Kent, 2013)
Kent, S. (2014). Kara Walker, Camden Arts Centre | Visual arts reviews, news & interviews | The Arts Desk. [online] Theartsdesk.com. Available at: http://www.theartsdesk.com/visual-arts/kara-walker-camden-arts-centre
The format that Walker, historically uses is classified as a craft but she makes it her own with the concept.
Kara Walker stated that ‘I was really searching for a format to sort of encapsulate, to simplify complicated things…And some of it spoke to me as: ‘it’s a medium… historically, it’s a craft and its very middle class.’ (Walker, 1999)
“Conversations with contemporary artists” (New York: Museum of Modern Art 1999) http://www.moma.org/onlineprojects/conversations/kw_f.html
Concept in walkers work is highly important as is the skill involved in creating not only her silhouettes, but also her drawings. But conceptual art can be heavily criticized.
The issue with conceptual art is that it can be heavily criticized for its reliance on its concept rather than the level of skill involved.
Ben Davis states that “The appreciation of contemporary conceptual art, on the other hand, depends not on immediately recognizable skill.” (Davis, 2009)
Artnet.com, (2014). Ben Davis explains why people hate “conceptual” art. – artnet Magazine. [online] Available at: http://www.artnet.com/magazineus/reviews/davis/in-defense-of-concepts11-24-09.asp
Davis explains that contemporary conceptual art has more meaning, depth and intelligence to it than what is initially recognized at first glance. Conceptual art is not just about its aesthetic view, but about knowledge, history and thought provoking ideas.
The art versus craft debate it very prevalent in this and something I feel extremely strongly about. To me craft and art are very much the same thing, both can have concept it is just about how you identify as yourself as an artist, and neither should be penalised for how they identify. Walker’s art speaks strongly to me of this as her art symbolizes how unfairly penalised people have been throughout history for their title. Skin and art.
