Kara Walker: A Black Hole Is Everything a Star Longs to Be

The first major exhibition in Switzerland by the artist, Kara Walker’s “A Black Hole is Everything a Star Longs to Be” encompasses over 600 works on paper spanning the last 28 years, including a series of new drawings and many that have never before been presented to the public. In her archival works, visitors at Kunstmuseum Basel will find Walker’s exploration of topics like history, gender roles, sexuality, race relations, and violence, which encourage viewers to question the narratives they have been fed. Continuing these interest in her newer works, the artist has focused on contemporary matters like the dialogue arisen from the Black Lives Matter Movement and the legacy of  Barack Obama—which takes on a fantastical gaze in works like a depiction of the former President as Othello, holding the head of a certain yellow-haired man.