BOH, 2021 by Kara Walker. Photo – courtesy of Poetry Foundation ©
The Poetry Foundation announces the exhibition Kara Walker: Back of Hand, making its first appearance since debuting in 2021 at the University of Georgia’s Lamar Dodd School of Art. The exhibition runs from February 15 to May 18, 2024, in Athens, Georgia.
Renowned for her exploration of race, gender, and violence, Kara Walker’s work, including “A Subtlety, or the Marvelous Sugar Baby,” takes centre stage. Departing from her signature silhouette figures, Kara Walker: Back of Hand highlights her focus on language and text. Featured pieces include the 2015 Book, consisting of 11 typewritten pages with ink and watercolour illustrations, along with two large-scale drawings: The Ballad of How We Got Here and Feast of Famine. Curated by Katie Geha and organized by Katherine Litwin and Fred Sasaki of the Poetry Foundation, the exhibition aims to interpret Walker’s visual art as poetry and a catalyst for contemplation.
Fred Sasaki remarks, “This exhibition presents a unique opportunity to read Kara Walker’s visual art as poetry and provocation. The work confronts us with our complexity and complicity in the nightmarish landscape of history and fantasy, leaving viewers with more questions than answers.”
The opening reception on Thursday, February 15, at 5 PM invites guests to engage with Walker’s work, followed by a talk and Q&A session with curator Katie Geha and a reading by poet and artist Krista Franklin. Admission to both the opening event and the exhibition is free, with registration encouraged.
