Silhouettes of Shame

By Daniel Frankel

At first glance, they appear to be delicate images of a more genteel time. But take a closer look at these room-sized black cut-out silhouettes and you see horror: disturbing images of violence, oppression and sex in the Antebellum South, with nightmarish scenes of house slaves disemboweling their masters, and masters raping their slaves.

These disquieting scenes come labelled with strangely overblown titles such as "Insurrection! Our Tools Were Rudimentary, Yet We Pressed On" and "Gone, An Historical Romance of a Civil War as It Occurred Between the Dusky Thighs of One Negress and Her Heart."

This is the controversial work of artist Kara Walker and it "may not be for everyone," warned Gary Garrels, chief curator and deputy director of exhibitions and public programs for the Hammer Museum. On March 2, the museum will unfurl the largest assemblage to date of the work of the 38-year-old African-American artist over 10,000 square feet of its temporary exhibition galleries.

Up close, "My Complement, My Enemy, My Oppressor, My Love" is Walker's blunt commentary on race, slavery, liberation, discrimination, sexual attraction and exploitation, and modernity.

"Her work deals with a lot of charged issues revolving around the history of black Americans … race, sexuality. She digs deeply into the subconscious of submerged dreams and nightmares of our culture," Garrels said. "But we think art is not always about reassuring people about what they already know. Art has an important role in allowing us to ask difficult questions."

Polarizing as Walker's narrative challenges and biting humor may be — Garrels says the Hammer has prepared a brochure "with a lot of text" to explain it to the bewildered — the exhibition of this New York-based artist who has quickly emerged on the international stage is a notable "get" for the museum. In fact, the Hammer is the only West Coast stop for the show, which originated at Minneapolis' Walker Art Center and has visited the Musee d’Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris and New York’s Whitney Museum of American Art.

Walker has past connections to Garrels and several other Hammer curators, and she was, in 1999, the first artist to be featured in the Hammer Projects series, a now-celebrated showcase for emerging artists.

To kick things off, Walker will engage in a public conversation with Steven Nelson, associate professor of African and African-American art history, on Feb. 27 at noon in Haines Hall 135. The event is co-presented by the Ralph J. Bunche Center for African American Studies. Nelson is the author of "From Cameroon to Paris: Mousgoum Architecture in and out of Africa."

On opening day, March 2, the artist will sit down with Garrels before an audience to discuss her work and the exhibition at 4 p.m. at the museum’s Billy Wilder Theater. Admission is free.

On March 12 at 7 p.m., Paul Von Blum, senior lecturer in African American studies, communication studies and art history, will lead an exhibition walk-through for the public.

The exhibition runs through June 8. Admission to the museum is free to students, faculty and staff. Read more about Hammer events.