Kara Walker Releases Film of Attendees At Her Summer Show ‘A Subtlety.’

Kara Walker


This past summer, Kara Walker’s “A Subtlety,” held in Brooklyn, NY, was the hottest ticket in town. Housed in the massive space formerly known as The Domino Sugar Factory, artgoers waited in lines stretched around the block for the opportunity to see and take pictures of the center piece of the show, a giant naked Sphinx/Mammy hybrid made completely out of sugar.

The statue’s prominent breasts and vulva were boldly on display, resulting in a variety of reactions the piece. Many visitors made lewd gestures, and some black women who had attended the show admitted feeling triggered, alienated, and exploited.

Walker addressed the reactions to the show in the Los Angeles Times, stating that she was amused by some of the more vulgar reactions. She also admitted to spying on the exhibition’s visitors.

If you attended the show, like I did, you might remember being asked to sign a release prior to entering. Well, it looks like you might be on camera. Walker recently released the trailer for a compilation film of her footage, titled “An Audience.”

The full video will be on view at Sikkema Jenkins & Co. in New York City, beginning Friday, November 21 thru January 17. The trailer below doesn’t display the vulgar behaviors some witnessed at the show, maybe Walker saved the worst of it for the official screening.


Video via Vulture.