I visited the old Domino Sugar Factory (Williamsburg, BK) to get some culture and all that jazz primarily to see this art piece by Kara Walker. The images that were presented in this grand scale art instillation were fascinating to say the least (inclusive of the Marvelous Sugar Baby) and really thought provoking. Ms. Walker is paying homage/raising questions to those who 'refined' our sweet tastes...
Specifically, the trip subtly/ not so subtly were raising questions (to me) on who and how and what is valued -- starting back in the days with the complicated business of production of sugar and its ties to the Islands and slavery et al. She has images of little negro boys presumably workers from the fields carrying baskets who would have been child labor (which was not illegal) in various poses and dispositions. These children were used to cultivate the sugar cane from the fields to wherever they went for profit. The sugars (molasses) marks on the floor (representing blood maybe) was interesting...
The grand piece was a Sphinx that was made entirely out of white sugar which is
- Not sugars' natural state but
- Made in the image of a black woman and
- Is naked
That was astonishing.
I must say that people do not know how to react to a black woman's' body or a naked body (even if she is made of sugar). I am sure one of the objectives of the piece was to make people absolutely aware of and celebrate the intricacies and beauty of a woman (yay me) but some people cannot and do not know how to receive that. There were many comments and inappropriate pictures taken and it definitely made me think of the issues I face as a woman today (objectified/ subjectified/ sexualized/ etc) and the demoralization that women now and of the slavery days (which I can attribute her period of time to be) were constantly subjected to. I think about us women-- from the woman workers in the kitchen, the women who raised the children of their own and others by whatever means (meaning their masters children, their children born out of non consensual means), the women who were left to be strong for the families as the men were just chattel away...
I think about the value placed on certain attributes women have- let's look at today's standards that all of hip-hop America is singing about: big asses & big breasts are the main value standards. There are folks who are doing the most (butt implants/ breast implants/ liposuction and other crazy ass things) literally killing themselves to fit this mold. Because society says this is pretty. Hell, even Beyoncé said pretty hurts...but this is what is considered attractive...but this is what men want...but this is what YOU (woman) need to be like to be worthy of love, attention, anything-- because if you are not that then you are not something society would like to know- never mind the brains or the compassion or the any other of the myriad of things that make up a woman. I could go on about the fucked up morals we have as a society based on any of the recent headlines, but I'll save that stand on my soapbox for another day. This 'art' was just...subtle in an overt way. Here are some of the pics:
These are my favorite because of the broken-ness that is surrounding the baby.
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