Untitled (Kneeling Woman with Mask)

1998

cut paper and adhesive

55 1⁄4” x 32”

Kara Walker's body of work is honest, painful, and horribly real. She focuses

on sexual, physical, and racial violence through the lense of slavery in the

19th century. Her artwork peels back the layers of America’s dark past and

present, examining how silhouette, allegory, and storytelling can deliver a

painful and transparent depiction of what it means to be a Black American.

Her work is also beautiful and full of care for a group of people who have

long been uncared for. I was drawn to the meaningful complexity of her work

long before this research project and exhibition and is what drew me to her 1998 piece Untitled (Kneeling Woman with Mask). The silhouettes that Walker has used throughout her career reduce and flatten each figure she depicts but also serve to communicate so much information. Though this piece is a simple outline made of black, cut paper, it communicates a deep emotional weight: grief, faith, black womanhood, and isolation. I can’t help but feel this life-sized piece of paper gets lonely on an exhibition wall, carrying the weight of her identity.

At the core of Walker’s work lies historical storytelling and the unapologetic

truth behind the pain that made her who she is. Walker powerfully communi-

cates thoughts and emotions she may have felt while creating this piece. The

need to shout out: do you understand the weight of this?

-Gwen Putz