Art Piece Re-Creation: Kara Walker's Camptown Ladies
Kara Walker made art telling the story of slavery. This piece literally depicts a jockey riding a woman like a horse, a whip in one hand and a carrot in the other, as a rabbit fires the starting gun. From the context of the art, it's clear that the woman is an African slave and the jockey is her white master. Figuratively, though, this piece simultaneously depicts the way in which white masters saw their slaves and the desperation of the slaves; it's clear in the art how much the woman needs the carrot. I chose this piece because it seemed to me singularly disturbing and powerful.