UCLA Journal of Radiation Oncology APRIL 2022 - Flipbook - Page 10
UCLA RADIATION ONCOLOGY JOURNAL
If the latter is the case, Walker is quite
literally saying that the history of Blacks was
rewritten by White hands as an unreadable
mess and sham.
allow anyone off the hook, not even herself,
when it comes to talking about race, gender,
and identity, and how history repeats itself
ad nauseum in new and “acceptable” ways.
“A Work on Progress (1998)” is a more iconic
Walker silhouette wherein the woman
with broken shackles could be viewed as
the enslaved version of the free woman
sweeping her away. This is an optimistic
view, so it is likely that the piece is instead
addressing the lasting reverberations or
consequences of slavery and the shame
therein. What is mystifying is the oldfashioned key on a chain around the “free”
woman’s neck. Why has she not unshackled
the other woman? Why is she instead
sweeping her away with force? These
questions are undoubtedly ones she intends
the viewer to ask. But what is most striking
about “A Work on Progress” is that it is an
exquisite example of how Walker refuses to
Walker has maintained a level of notoriety
uncommon in the ever-evolving landscape
of visual art because she is unrelenting in
both, exquisitely crafting her works. Until
the mirror she is holding up no longer
reflects our current society, the continued
vitality of her work’s content ensures her
relevance. ☐
Contributed by: Ciara Shuttleworth
Ciara Shuttleworth is an alumnus of the prestigious San
Francisco Art Institute. She has worked for three prominent
San Francisco fine art galleries. Additionally, she has provided
art consulting for private and corporate collections, including
Google. She is also a published writer with works in the Norton
Introduction to Literature and The New Yorker. Her most recent
book is the poetry collection, Rabbit Heart.
"A Work on Progress (1998) " Copyright Kara Walker
Artwork © 2022 Kara Walker,
courtesy of Sikkema Jenkins & Co., New York; Sprüth Magers,
Berlin
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