A Subtlety 2014

Kara Walker made this monumental sculpture out of sugar in 2014, and it's an overwhelming sight! It’s not just the scale but the color and texture that grabs you. The bright white sugar, looks almost granular, like it's been built up layer by layer. The soft, sloping forms of the woman’s body are in stark contrast with the hard industrial architecture of the space around it, and this contrast is the point. Think of Walker's exploration of race, gender, and power, and how these themes are etched into the surface of history. The whiteness of the sugar, usually associated with sweetness and purity, becomes something else here. Like the work of Robert Colescott, Walker’s art is part of a conversation about how we see each other, what stories we tell, and how history is made and remade. It’s a conversation that's not always easy, but it’s one we need to keep having.