Kara Walker’s A Subtlety (2014) is a 75-foot tall artwork that was exhibited in an uninhabited Domino Sugar factory in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NY (Larson 2014: 505). The female sphinx inspired artwork was made of sugar, polystyrene, plastic and molasses (Lewis 2017: 12). Walker addresses how the black female body has been represented through stereotyping practices for years.
Essentialism, reductionism and naturalization are used in A Subtlety. Essentialising is when a race’s intrinsic nature is essentialised to a few internal qualities or behaviours (Hall 1997: 245). These essential qualities or behaviours represent who they are as a people and all they can be. Black people were “reduced to their essence of laziness, mindlessness and childishness” …show more content…
The sculpture is unclothed. This hyper-sexualizes the sculpture and makes it vulnerable to being sexualized by its observers (Lewis 2017:8). The sculpture “displays a prominent pair of labial lips between her coiled haunches” (Larson 2014:508). The sculpture’s genitals are completely exposed and thus perpetuates the sexualization of black women. Because of the sexualization of this sculpture, it was easy for men to stand in front of the sculpture and photograph themselves as holding “up her breasts” (Larson 2014: 511). This shows how simple it was for observers to take advantage of the sculpture and “use” or “abuse” the sculpture in a sexual manner.
The sculpture alludes to the “Sphinx- an ancient hybrid of lion and woman mystic goddess” (Larson 2014:508). This perpetuates the idea that black women are exotic and are subhuman. Because of the power of photography, all of these stereotypes displayed in the sculpture would be able to be photographed and circulated again in society through social media, for example. Although it may have not been Walker’s intention to display the black body in a negative light, it is evident that the sculpture perpetuates certain stereotypes about black
Essentialism, reductionism and naturalization are used in A Subtlety. Essentialising is when a race’s intrinsic nature is essentialised to a few internal qualities or behaviours (Hall 1997: 245). These essential qualities or behaviours represent who they are as a people and all they can be. Black people were “reduced to their essence of laziness, mindlessness and childishness” …show more content…
The sculpture is unclothed. This hyper-sexualizes the sculpture and makes it vulnerable to being sexualized by its observers (Lewis 2017:8). The sculpture “displays a prominent pair of labial lips between her coiled haunches” (Larson 2014:508). The sculpture’s genitals are completely exposed and thus perpetuates the sexualization of black women. Because of the sexualization of this sculpture, it was easy for men to stand in front of the sculpture and photograph themselves as holding “up her breasts” (Larson 2014: 511). This shows how simple it was for observers to take advantage of the sculpture and “use” or “abuse” the sculpture in a sexual manner.
The sculpture alludes to the “Sphinx- an ancient hybrid of lion and woman mystic goddess” (Larson 2014:508). This perpetuates the idea that black women are exotic and are subhuman. Because of the power of photography, all of these stereotypes displayed in the sculpture would be able to be photographed and circulated again in society through social media, for example. Although it may have not been Walker’s intention to display the black body in a negative light, it is evident that the sculpture perpetuates certain stereotypes about black