In fact, I was thinking having had a chance to be in the galleries during the Black Male Show, which was equally scandalous in another decade, I see this show as its perhaps not deliberate sequel.

It will be some time before I am fully able to reach a definite opinion about the Kara Walker show which I saw earlier today. That is, I think, as it should be. Its resistance to an absolute assessment speaks to the show’s power and complexity. It is meant to disturb because it concerns what is perhaps the most disturbing part of American history, and Ms. Walker has chosen to set our spirits on edge through disturbing, yet beautifully-executed, works. Nothing prepared me for the sight of the mural that greets the viewer upon exiting the elevator, with its central figures of children engaged in a very adult activity. You know that you are in for something uncompromising.

I would be lying were I to say that I never find myself using stereotypes despite my best intentions. Much of American culture is driven by it, especially through its media, and all of us are influenced by its presence. But there are harmful stereotypes (such as those spewed by ignorant radio show hosts) as opposed to those that are harmless and easily disposable. Ms. Walker seems to be suggesting that the “darker” (for lack of a better word) stereotypes still hold us in thrall and are tightly woven into the cultural fabric – despite our best intentions.

Art can be a form of resistance when it is in oppostion to illusion, complacency and conventions. In an election year where an African American man has a real shot at becoming president of the United States, and where the Secretary of State is an African American woman can easily lull us into complacency that all is well on the racial front. Then when racist comments or the sudden appearance of a hangman’s noose in the halls of academia assault our ears and eyes, we are shocked back to the reality that what is depicted in Ms. Walker’s murals still, somehow, informs our collective psychology.

I am extremely impressed by Ms. Walker’s skill as an artist, in her mastery over the various media she uses to convey her message. Her work is also firmly anchored in the traditions and references from the western art canon (which in itself underscores the underlying contradiction of her work, and, by extension perhaps, Ms. Walker herself).

Finally, it is important to remember that Ms. Walker’s work in this show is essentially allegorical; it points to something beyond what is immediately seen on surface and invites us to do something we all too frequently prefer avoiding: to think.

As an aside, I would love to hear what Toni Morrison’s opinions of Walker’s work would be…

What I found amusing was an exchange between 2 visitors, thinking they were talking to themselves: “I think she’s too stuck in this period”. The other person smugly nodded.

Can you guess what race these 2 were?

This is exactly why Kara Walker, and all of us who get her message, need to keep on working.

Art can be, and has been at times, a form of resistance, especially against other forms of art. Punk rock and grunge are a prime example of this. When the rock world was dominated by decadent forms of music, these artists wrote music consisting of a few chords and recorded this music without the aid of complex studio tricks. This ushered in a new era of musical expression, a resistance against the previous era’s progession into decadancy.