Kara Walker's "A Subtlety"

There has been a lot of talk recently about Kara Walker's new exhibit in Brooklyn, called "A Subtlety."  Actually, the official title of the piece is, "A Subtlety, or the Marvelous Sugar Baby an Homage to the unpaid and overworked Artisans who have refined our Sweet tastes from the cane fields to the Kitchens of the New World on the Occasion of the demolition of the Domino Sugar Refining Plant." But in a word (or two), I'd call it simply astounding.  The work comments broadly on race (and specifically on African Americans' experiences in America/the Caribbean).  It speaks to history near and far, and plays with contrasts of color, scale, and thought.  It also intertwines olfactory experience with artistic concept in a way that I haven't seen before: the mesmerizingly sweet smell of molasses in the air somehow envelops, but also clashes against, the harsh acidity of the work's content matter.

As with all works of art, the viewer has the choice of interacting with its subject on a very superficial or meaningful level.  This is a very rich, multilayered piece of work that contains a great deal of symbolism, some of it subtle, some of it overt.  Not surprising, given the weight (and presentation) of the subject matter considered here, there has been some controversy surrounding people's responses to the exhibit (some Instagram photos, for example).  In a pointed critique, Dr. Nicholas Powers, Associate Professor of English at SUNY Westbury, suggested that, in their interactions with the piece, many visitors were (consciously or unconsciously), "...recreating the very racism this art is supposed to critique."

"questionable acts" were demonstrated by staff members as well.

It's really amazing living in a city in which we are all constantly coming together (on the subway, in the market, at the park, at art exhibits, etc.).  At the same time, it's disappointing to be reminded that we remain a divided community in many ways, and that these divisions are based in part on race, which often leads to very different experiences as we move throughout the city and life.  But this is not, nor should it be, the sole focus of this installation, which is truly monumental in scale and concept.  "A Subtlety" is a very complex piece of art that requires much thought and introspection.  With this work, Kara Walker has offered the viewer an opportunity to learn more about themselves, history, and society.  I've visited the installation twice; I was and continue to be very moved.

For more information about this piece, I recommend:

NPR interview
NY Times article
New Yorker article
a piece about the experience of African Americans who have visited the work
an interview with Kara Walker by ArtNet

... and a truly wonderful (and informative) video from a live broadcast interview with Kara Walker that is available from the NY Public Library.