So I do corporate sales for my company but everyone here sells, down to the President. So we were hosting a top chef in our showroom yesterday trying to get him to use our stuff for a new restaurant he's doing in Paris....

So in our showroom we have this piece by Kara Walker;

http://www.momastore.org/museum/moma/ProductDisplay_Kara-Walker:-Pitcher_10451_10001_195407_-1_26669_26673

He immediately is disgusted! He's going off about how offensive and unnecessary this thing is. Now note: We are a small but very large company and when we host someone big everyone is there, President and VP of the company. He was ruffling major feathers. They kindly escorted buddy out and gave him the it was nice meeting you. I think everyone was shocked on how that all played out, over a damn pitcher...

Everyone had their opinions. You had the artist prospective, you had the privileged white opinion, you had the I had lots of black friends opinion, and you had the neutral what's the big deal opinion.

Being the only black person there? I kept MY damn opinion to myself.

This piece ALWAYS starts drama every time someone sees it. I personally like it. I like Kara Walker and her work though. I love the irony of the majority of the people who buy the piece are older white people. I think it's definitely a talking piece.

However, lots of people think it's a cheap way that Kara Walker is just making a buck off the derogatory image of the Mammy which shouldn't be celebrated.

Somebody's lying...

@Atruelady Twitter/ @Sweetesttaboos Instagram

>This piece ALWAYS starts drama every time someone sees it.

...this is the number one reason to not have it.

_
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i dunno that i'd want the piece around if it's interrupting sales pitch meetings and/or upsetting clients in a way that doesn't benefit my business.

fuck you.

In any business where you're entertaining clients.

_
Yo! That’s My Jawn: The Podcast - Available Now!
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context really is important
~~~~
When you are born, you cry, and the world rejoices. Live so that when you die, you rejoice, and the world cries.
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You cannot hate people for their own good.

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Get Out The Room!
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@fakewilliamkatt

"You probably wouldn't worry about what people think of you if you could know how seldom they do!" - Olin Miller

And then there is nothing better than to asked those outraged by her art to articulate exactly what they find to be outrageous.

She is deserving of her Genius status.

Her and kehinde wiley are the only visual artist I check for.


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"Everyone has a plan until you punch them in the face. Then they don't have a plan anymore." (c) Mike Tyson


"One of the most important things in life is what Judge Learned Hand described as 'that ever-gnawing inner doubt as to whether you're

>Her and kehinde wiley are the only visual artist I check for.
>
LOL. sucks for you

Fuck your fort!

I guess I could also add Picasso to the list but that's about it.

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"Everyone has a plan until you punch them in the face. Then they don't have a plan anymore." (c) Mike Tyson


"One of the most important things in life is what Judge Learned Hand described as 'that ever-gnawing inner doubt as to whether you're

Kara Walker's art ignores the historic significance behind the imagery she chooses to depict. Just like using the "n" word, no amount of innovative reconfiguring can change what that word represents; and her slave era rehashing of dehumanizing imagery cannot change what it represents. And Kehinde Wiley lol is a great portrait painter, but his "artistry" is a watered down version of Barkley Hendricks hustled to the masses like fast food. He does the same thing over and over only changing the body and the background. Just saying.

granted walker's last work with the sugar lacked context for such a public art piece but all that aside it's good to see people react

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"if the children are not initiated into the village they will burn it down just to feel its warmth." - african proverb

People double back, and stare. Some people just laugh and shake their heads. Some people get PISSED!!! And otherwise just HAVE to have one. The piece continues to sell out.

Somebody's lying...

@Atruelady Twitter/ @Sweetesttaboos Instagram

and i don't mean that in a snarky way
it literally is not meant for you

she didn't
this pitcher was in the an office space as a product being displayed that was created by that company

it was not in a restaurant setting

and yes, i know it's not for me either. its for people that are willing to shell out $400 to buy a derogatory image. one should question the ethics of that.

you can chill with the snark as none was directed towards you.

Yours was snark. It's all good.

doesn't mean it's snark. do not pretend to know my intent when you cannot even be honest about your own.

if you say so.

shit seems weird.

"please use this in your new restaurant so it can be on the news and cause scandal and outrage"

its a commercialized version of what she is KNOWN for

now, whether or not is has a place in a restaurant is up to the restauranteur but i'm not mad that as a sales company/showroom they are giving people that option in general as something they can own for themselves-just like the moma store is doing.

they didn't press him or even offer it to him. he saw it and flipped

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"if the children are not initiated into the village they will burn it down just to feel its warmth." - african proverb

art can be mass produced

but i can say that i do think this piece is very clever and hilarious
i think most aren't getting the joke

"Seasons may come and your luck just may run out, and all that you'll have is some memories..."

.

outside the art realm....

Somebody outside the art world has every right to be offended....BUT...at the very least they should also have the intelligence to question what they don't understand...because alas...THAT is also the genius and purpose of Art many times...to get people talking to each other and inquiring....

On another note....I don't particularly like her stuff and i'd never personally spend money on it or display it in a place of business unless I had a full time staffer stationed next to it to explain it to passerby...or at least a little sign beneath it explaining the piece.


"Seasons may come and your luck just may run out, and all that you'll have is some memories..."

fuck you.

Kara Walker has also partnered with our design crew. We have yet to sell it to a business for use. However, it is displayed like every other artist collection in our showroom.

Somebody's lying...

@Atruelady Twitter/ @Sweetesttaboos Instagram

an art related biz in the first place....




"Seasons may come and your luck just may run out, and all that you'll have is some memories..."

nah son...

smug hands.....


"Seasons may come and your luck just may run out, and all that you'll have is some memories..."

but the artist is BLACK!!!

Somebody's lying...

@Atruelady Twitter/ @Sweetesttaboos Instagram

I mean.. how the fuck do you feel when people act out like this and you are the only one in the room who is Black?

Shit has to be awkward...

I don't think he looked my way... No one did. I faded to black as soon as I saw his face hit the pitcher.

Somebody's lying...

@Atruelady Twitter/ @Sweetesttaboos Instagram

"Seasons may come and your luck just may run out, and all that you'll have is some memories..."

instead of being placed on a pedestal these are actually being used.

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https://soundcloud.com/swageyph/yph-die-with-me

pedestals are highly problematic imo

this not a solid no

i could talk about this topic for hour

my whole major at art school was based on this hard question.

im still turning it over in my head all these years later

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https://soundcloud.com/swageyph/yph-die-with-me

i don't think any less of "craft" than i do of someone's painting
particularly bc a lot of the "masters" (picasso!) jacked the work of craftsmen/artisans

there's an interesting show up now at the scottsdale museum about afgani war rugs. it's taking a tradition and turning it into social/political commentary. however, there are no specific names attached to each work bc they are made by women in markets. i thought that particularly interesting. is there work any less a piece of art? (not asking you to answer that but this is an age old debate)

he's absolutely correct.

it would create an unecessary distraction.

it would be seen as inflammatory, degrading etc.

and the people at your company would be fools to suggest it as serveware or decor.

then escorted him out when he called them out on it.

Somebody's lying...

@Atruelady Twitter/ @Sweetesttaboos Instagram

If it's a restaurant, he wouldn't come in to just a buy a pitcher. I also said it's on display in a showroom. Not that we presented it to him, or suggested it to him. You're reaching for scandal.

Somebody's lying...

@Atruelady Twitter/ @Sweetesttaboos Instagram

after showing him something inflammatory


~~~~
When you are born, you cry, and the world rejoices. Live so that when you die, you rejoice, and the world cries.
~~~~
You cannot hate people for their own good.

like...if you come in my crib...and get offended by the velour Malcolm X painting hanging over the mantel, and then want to act a fool about it too....i'm escorting you out too!

"Seasons may come and your luck just may run out, and all that you'll have is some memories..."

something that resembled and racist piece

because her work is specifically made to provoke a reaction

you can repackage something to look like rape all you want

you can't get mad when someone reacts to something that looks like rape


i'm really disliking the smarmy smugness of her work now being 'in' and poopooing the reaction she purposefully engenders in her pieces on some "oh thats ignorant"

that was not her house
that was a place of business
she is a vendor
showing a client while one option in thousands
there was still an inflammatory piece there

they need to restructure the more inflammatory pieces in the showroom
maybe section them off



~~~~
When you are born, you cry, and the world rejoices. Live so that when you die, you rejoice, and the world cries.
~~~~
You cannot hate people for their own good.

when it agitates people?

what type of game is this?

oh, it's similar to this one:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fL-1kHxsavI

And you're arguing it like anyone knew dude was going to get upset. People are different. As I said, it's a sold out piece, dude could've easily loved it as much as he hated it.


Hell I didn't make the piece nor did I design the showroom. I had no dog in the fight. I just thought it was hilarious that dude would be SO upset.


I could understand if a black person got upset, which has NEVER happened but I do wonder why whites get offended by the piece.

Somebody's lying...

@Atruelady Twitter/ @Sweetesttaboos Instagram

^^you said this in the OP^^

pretty sure this is her intention.

It's sold out love. It does get people talking! People have mixed feelings about it. That's the beauty of it. It doesn't piss me off.

Somebody's lying...

@Atruelady Twitter/ @Sweetesttaboos Instagram

I get it... it's art and people are buying it.

But I thought this post was about discussing the piece. Seems like you are hell bent on defending it instead of letting people talk about what they like or don't like about the piece.

I'm defending the company not supporting Kara Walker after agreeing to work with her. The company likes her, decided to collaborate with her and it would be wrong for her work to not be on display with everyone else's work.


I encourage everyone to have their opinion. I'm just saying you can't be mad that it was simply there in the mix.

Somebody's lying...

@Atruelady Twitter/ @Sweetesttaboos Instagram

doesn't mean your company has to pull it but trust me, I can be mad at ANY art I want to because it's MY opinion.

I will say you are doing a GREAT job and you really like your work but umm... FOH that I can't be mad at a piece in your selection.

It's a pitcher. Don't buy it. Like anything else you don't like. I'll sell it to the next person who loves it.

I'm not mad you don't love it.

Somebody's lying...

@Atruelady Twitter/ @Sweetesttaboos Instagram

and yeah...that was a bad analogy....



"Seasons may come and your luck just may run out, and all that you'll have is some memories..."