Kara Walker, African/American, 1998 

Narrator: African/American, from 1998, is a black and white horizontal linoleum cut on paper measuring just under 4 feet tall by 5 feet. The linoleum that the print was made from is about 3 feet by 3 and a half so that the solid black image is insulated by a thick border of unmarked paper.

A single black human silhouette resembling a paper cut-out, which is characteristic of Walker’s works on paper, is suspended in the center. The figure appears to be falling on a diagonal with the head in the left bottom corner and feet toward the top right corner. Beads around the neck hang in an arc showing that they are lighter than the rest of the person’s body as gravity takes effect and pulls everything toward the bottom of the frame. Tufts of kinky hair protrude from the edges of the figure’s head as their face is turned so that their profile faces the bottom of the image. The top arm reaches toward the top of the image with a large bangle and fingers slightly curled. In the gap between arm and ribs, a prominent nipple projects from the curve of a single breast. The right arm is bent at the elbow, palm facing forward with three fingers visible against the continuous black of the silhouette. Waist ties spring away from the body curling like ribbon or another light woven material. The organic edges of a skirt fills the gap between thighs mirroring the hair on the figure's head. The left leg is rotated open revealing the side of the foot with the knee pointed towards the top of the image the right leg is extended but slightly bent showing the top of the opposite foot. The absence of light, shadow, landmarks or additional objects creates a bright void without temporal context beyond the suggested indigeneity of the person’s adornment. 

Cut-paper art has been emblematic of Walker’s work since she first started using it in the 1990s. The art form was first made popular in nineteenth century portraiture, but Walker uses it as a way of addressing race, gender, and power. Walker describes this seminude figure as "your essentialist-token slave maiden in midair." The black and white colors of the work contrast with the red wall it is hung on. A video of the Alvin Ailey Dance Company performing is projected in the wall space above the work.