Fall Frum Grace, Miss Pipi's Blue Tale

The Afro-American artist Kara Walker is known for her panoramic silhouettes in which she addresses the topics of racism, sexism and violence. The subject, reminiscent of Biedermeier silhouettes, and the drastic depiction stand in stark contrast to one another. In her works, Walker tells the story of slavery in the USA and its social consequences. “But the form is also a kind of trap”. Kara Walker remarked in an interview: “People look, just because it looks nice and is fun. And then this or that suddenly becomes less enjoyable ...”. In her films, Walker brings the characters to life through shadow play. The 2011 video Fall Frum Grace, Miss Pipi's Blue Tale, tells the story of a bored southern belle who seduces her slave. The relationship is eventually exposed, and the black man is cruelly punished by the woman’s white suitor, who tortures, castrates, and executes him. The film consists of short episodes in which the real events alternate with fictional scenes. These also convey the white man's fear of the alleged hypersexuality of black men and their attraction to white women. Walker does not spare the viewer the explicit depictions of violence; rather, the artist makes it more bearable by presenting it as an abstract shadow play. Violent scenes alternate with humorous cabaret performances in which clichés of black identity are ironically caricatured. Colorful backgrounds with abstract motifs and the accompanying soundtrack, ranging from Delta Blues to 1970s Groove and Ambient music, convey a surreal atmosphere. At times, the artist becomes visible as the shadow puppeteer who holds all the narrative threads in her hand.