'I began experimenting with the cut out when I realized there was no effective way to paint the sordid and violent affects and legacies of racism' - Kara Walker

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Kara Walker's A Fall Frum Grace, Miss Pipi's Blue Tale

Filipa Ramos: You have been making cut out silhouettes since the 1990s, either animated as in Fall Frum Grace, Miss Pipi's Blue Tale or adhering directly to the wall. They became an iconic feature of your work. Do you remember what was the first cut out figure you ever made and what had led you to experiment with this medium?Kara Walker: The first time I began experimenting with the form of the cut out was when I realized there was no effective way to paint the sordid and violent affects and legacies of racism in a way that would compel a viewer to see it. The cut out was fast, iconic, visually benign and appealing to the (delicate) senses. The first cut out depicted a charming rape in a cotton field. Some viewers were so surprised that the thing they were looking at was not screaming at them, not teaching them a lesson, basically not staying in the “black art” lane where it could be ignored by the general population.FR: Music is crucial in Fall Frum Grace, Miss Pipi's Blue Tale. What led you to combine such a varied selection of songs?KW: The character Miss Pipi in the film is a representation of Pure White Womanhood, a patriarchal myth that was the excuse for thousands of lynchings of black men in America, falsely accused of rape. This was accusation often thrown at African Americans who were politically aware, or expressed some inkling of self-possession within a white supremacist society, particularly in the Southern states. In the film, Miss Pipi also discovers that her caged position coupled with her desire to break free are all part of the same violent sadistic loop that is Southern (and white American) identity. The soundtrack includes spirituals from the Angola Prison and Mississippi Delta Blues, genres I have glancing familiarity with, which echo the deep abjection and aching spirituality of the incarcerated.FR:&nbsp;Colors are likewise fundamental here; they add another, abstract layer to the film. Sometimes it feels like they are behind and others in front of the puppets. Practically, what are the techniques you use to include the various hues and tones included in the work? KW: As with all my work, the form arises from the content and the rule is to aim for simplicity where the concept is complex. Here, I just wanted to hint at the idea of a place, in this case Mississippi, (where I had taken a tumultuous visit prior to making this film). Most of the colored gels are straight from the box, nothing fancy, a cheap nod to master shadow puppeteer Lotte Reiniger, who created many layers with gels and paper cut outs in her great films. Additionally, I did some layering of landscapes from blown out archival photos of lynching scenes that are rear projected onto the scrim of the puppet stage. In the penultimate scene it was important that the victim and the flames be “real” as in paper and fire rather than shadows, flesh instead of image, but ultimately, of course from my omnipotent place as puppeteer Image and Object are the same. Color and sound are necessary to create a sense of lustiness in a story that ultimately leads to a violent death with no redemption for anyone, least of all the viewer.<a href="https://www.artbasel.com/catalog/artist/8327/Kara-Walker" target="_blank">Kara Walker</a> is represented by&nbsp;<a href="https://www.artbasel.com/catalog/gallery/1271/Sikkema-Jenkins-Co" target="_blank">Sikkema Jenkins &amp; Co.</a> and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.artbasel.com/catalog/gallery/1281/Spr%C3%BCth-Magers" target="_blank">Sprüth Magers</a>

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Find out more about the&nbsp;selected works by curator Filipa Ramos on Art Basel's digital platform, Online Viewing Rooms.

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'I began experimenting with the cut out when I realized there was no effective way to paint the sordid and violent affects and legacies of racism' - Kara Walker

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Kara Walker's A Fall Frum Grace, Miss Pipi's Blue Tale

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