Don't let the line for Kara Walker's "A Subtlety or the Marvelous Sugar Baby" deter you. It moves quickly, but you'll have to sign a release before they let you inside the factory, soon be demolished.
The sugar baby looms to your left as soon as you walk into the enormous space. She's illuminated by a skylight that's as big as my apartment.
Her skin tone contrasts vividly to the blackness of the oil on the platform to your right.
. . . and to the color of the walls.
Oil surrounds all the smaller sugar babies in the installation.
Every one is doing backbreaking manual labor of some kind. Many of them carry bowls.
Although you're warned not to touch the art, I was tempted to lick it. The factory smells like cotton candy.
In her choice of materials, Walker doesn't differentiate between the product and the person whose labor brings it to your table. I'm not sure I'll ever look at sugar quite the same way.
At 35 feet tall, the white sugar baby is imperious, to say the least, and not quite so friendly-looking as the Aunt Jemima her bandanna brings to mind.
Like most people, we couldn't resist posing with her. Here's Bill & Pat.
I threw a peace sign just in case. Would you want to get her angry?
In case you were wondering, the world's biggest booty is anatomically correct.
You really do have to see her to believe her. I just wish she had a soundtrack. Moby's "Natural Blues" would add another layer of complexity.
Not to be missed. Kudos to Ms. Walker and Creative Time.
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