Racism accusations against Kelley Walker's show at Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis

Kelley Walker's solo exhibition 'Direct Drive' at the Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis, which opened on September 16, 2016, has sparked accusations of racism and calls for a boycott. The show features works that appropriate advertising imagery, including giant magazine covers with Black models smeared with toothpaste and reproductions of photographs from the 1963 Birmingham Movement splattered with milk and chocolate mixtures. Critics, including illustrator and activist Damon Davis, argue that these depictions are offensive and racially insensitive, especially given the proximity to Ferguson, Missouri, where the killing of Michael Brown by police triggered racial unrest a year earlier. During a talk following the opening, Walker and museum curators gave evasive answers about the meaning of the works, focusing on technical aspects rather than addressing concerns. Davis has called for the removal of offensive works and an apology from the museum. The exhibition runs through December 31, 2016.