Kara Walker's 2015 Exhibition Confronts Racial History Through Stone Mountain Imagery
Kara Walker's exhibition from 2015, titled 'Go to Hell or Atlanta, Whichever Comes First,' centers on Stone Mountain, Georgia, a location that the Ku Klux Klan claimed in 1915. The show features a prominent black-and-white image by Ari Marcopoulos used as wallpaper. Walker showcases around 40 whimsical pencil-and-watercolor illustrations that reinterpret Stone Mountain, incorporating burning crosses and alluding to Dylan Roof, who admitted to the Charleston shooting in June 2015. The charcoal triptych '40 Acres of Mule' illustrates tumultuous scenes with mules and Confederate flags. Additional pieces include 'The Jubilant Martyrs of Obsolescence and Ruin' and a series called 'Tell Me Your Thoughts on Police Brutality Miss 'Spank Me Harder.' This exhibition links historical racism to modern-day issues, such as a KKK rally scheduled for November 2015.
Key facts
- Kara Walker's exhibition 'Go to Hell or Atlanta, Whichever Comes First' opened in 2015
- The show features a large photograph of Stone Mountain, Georgia, created with photographer Ari Marcopoulos
- Stone Mountain is the site where the Ku Klux Klan claimed spiritual birthplace in 1915 and features a Confederate Memorial carving
- Approximately 40 pencil-and-watercolor drawings reimagine Stone Mountain with burning crosses and racist slogans
- The charcoal triptych '40 Acres of Mule' depicts chaotic scenes with Confederate flags and Ku Klux Klan figures
- A series of 12 drawings addresses police brutality, referencing the Ferguson killing
- The exhibition includes works that use styles like primitivism and graffiti to satirize racial stereotyping
- A Ku Klux Klan rally was planned for November 2015 at Stone Mountain to protest a Martin Luther King Jr. memorial
Entities
Artists
- Kara Walker
- Ari Marcopoulos
- Martin Luther King Jr.
Institutions
- ArtReview
Locations
- Stone Mountain
- Georgia
- United States
- Atlanta
- Charleston
- Ferguson