"The past is not even past."
Kara Walker's quote, "The past is not even past," suggests that historical events, traumas, and injustices continue to impact the present day. It implies that we must confront and address these issues to move forward rather than treating them as distant or resolved. This statement encourages introspection about our collective history, particularly with regards to systemic racism and social inequality, acknowledging that their effects linger in modern society.
"My work is a world that needs to be built and rebuilt constantly."
Kara Walker's quote implies that her artistic creations are not static or fixed, but dynamic and evolving. She sees her work as an ongoing process of construction and reconstruction, reflecting the complexities and fluid nature of society, history, and identity - themes prevalent in her art. This continuous building and rebuilding could also symbolize her pursuit of self-expression, growth, and exploration within her artistic journey.
"I want to make art about something other than the suffering of black people, but I can't seem to do anything else."
This quote reflects a complex tension often faced by artists from marginalized groups, especially those dealing with themes of race and identity. Kara Walker is expressing the desire to move beyond the narrow, stereotypical narratives that have historically defined black people in art, yet feels constrained by societal expectations and personal experiences. This dilemma arises when an artist's lived reality and cultural context heavily inform their creative output. In essence, Walker's quote underscores the challenge of breaking free from traditional portrayals while remaining true to one's artistic voice and heritage.
"I am interested in the space that exists between history and mythology."
This quote by Kara Walker suggests an exploration into the grey area between established historical facts and traditional narratives or cultural stories, often embellished over time. She's expressing her fascination with this intersection where history – what actually happened – meets mythology – the storytelling of events that may contain elements of exaggeration, distortion, or even fabrication. This space allows for a richer understanding and interpretation of the past, acknowledging its complexity and revealing hidden truths.
"My work is a kind of fantasy, a flight into the past, an attempt to inhabit it with my own consciousness, to see what happens when I meet myself there."
This quote suggests that Kara Walker's art serves as a means for her to explore historical events and periods from a contemporary perspective. By immersing herself in the past, she seeks to understand it through her own lens of consciousness, creating a unique fusion of history and self-awareness in her work. Essentially, she is using art as a medium to examine history, confront it, and make it relevant to the present by interpreting it with her personal understanding and perspective.
I know that in my family there are histories of violence that are internal family things and that are oftentimes dealt with internally. By internally, I mean inside the family group, but also partly inside ourselves. You know, self-hatred and hostility and rage and this cycle that won't break.
- Kara Walker
I guess there was a little bit of a slight rebellion, maybe a little bit of a renegade desire that made me realize at some point in my adolescence that I really liked pictures that told stories of things - genre paintings, historical paintings - the sort of derivatives we get in contemporary society.
- Kara Walker
There was a manifesto in the late '60s/early '70s, and it basically laid out what 'black art' was and that it should embrace black history and black culture. There were all these rules - I was shocked, when I found it in a book, that it even existed, that it would demarcate these artists.
- Kara Walker
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