Kara Walker

Kara Walker (born November 26, 1969) is a modern American artist who is best known for her exploration of race, gender, sexuality, and identity in her artworks. Walker was born in Stockton, California. Her father was both a painter and a teacher. Walker's education includes an MFA at Rhode Island School of Design in Painting/Printmaking, and a BFA in Painting/Printmaking at Atlanta College of Art. Some of Walker's exhibitions have been shown at theMuseum of Modern Art, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, and the Museum of Contemporary Art. Walker has also been shown internationally and featured on PBS.

Related Topics:
November 26 - 1969 - American - Race - Gender - Sexuality - Identity - Stockton, California - MFA - Rhode Island School of Design - BFA - Atlanta College of Art - Museum of Modern Art - San Francisco Museum of Modern Art - Museum of Contemporary Art - PBS

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Walker's silhouette images work to bridge unfinished folklore in Antebellum South, raising identity and gender issues for African American women in particular. However, because of her truthful approach to the topic, Walker's artwork is reminiscent of Andy Warhol's Pop Art during the 1960s (indeed, Walker says she adored Warhol growing up as a child). Her nightmarish yet fantastical images incorporate a cinematic feel. Walker uses images from historical textbooks to show how white people depicted African American slaves during Antebellum South. Some of her images are almost grotesque, for example, in The Battle of Atlanta, http://www.brentsikkema.com/karawalker.html a white man, presumably a Southern soldier, is raping a Negro girl while her brother watches in shock, a white child is about to insert his sword into a nearly-lynched black woman's vagina, and a male black slave rains tears all over an adolescent white boy.

Related Topics:
Antebellum South - Andy Warhol - Pop Art - 1960s

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Walker lives in New York and is on the faculty of the MFA program at Columbia University.

Related Topics:
New York - Columbia University

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