Explore Black History

2017

This is a maquette of the life-size work Katastwóf Karavan, which first appeared as an installation at Algiers Point on the bank of the Mississippi River in New Orleans as part of Prospect New Orleans triennial. Algiers Point once served a holding area for enslaved persons before their sale and the sculpture functioned as a temporary memorial. The "katastwóf" of the title is a Haitian Creole word translating to "catastrophe" in English. The sculpture houses a calliope, a steam-powered musical instrument that was once used for amusement aboard steamboats. Walker programmed the calliope to play music for three days, including songs such as Jimi Hendrix’s “Freedom” and “Down by the Riverside” and various original music and songs performed by artist and musician Jason Moran.

This is a painted laser-cut stainless-steel maquette in the shape of a 19th century caravan cart. The rectangular, black cart has four wheels, four sides, and a slightly peaked roof. The wagon depicts a violent story of slavery with each of the four sides presenting a different scene depicted in black, laser-cut silhouette figures.
One long side of the cart depicts a line of four figures of varying heights, three male and one female, tied together by the necks. The front individual stands slightly bent forward with both hands held out in front of him; the two middle figures have their hands bound behind them; the female figure is last with her hands also held out in front of her. Facing them are three figures seated on each other's shoulders. The topmost individual, wearing tails and a brimmed hat, wields a long whip as he points at the bound figures. The scene is surrounded by a silhouette of tall trees and foliage with a crescent moon in the night sky above them.
One short end of the cart depicts a the figure of a woman standing in profile with one arm raised above her head. Her other arm is bent and her hand grasps at the tall plants growing around her. She wears a headscarf and a wide skirt, the latter of which is split by a tall narrow plant growing up the center of the skirt. The opposite short side of the cart depicts the figure of the same woman laying in a prone position. Her head is thrown back, her arms raised, and her legs spread. Bolls of cotton rise from her body to float above her.
On one long side of the cart is a scene of two figures carrying a third, prone figure between them. The male figure holding the feet has an iron slave collar around his neck, with a bell tied to it. The figure carrying the head is a young girl; she raises a spoon-like implement in one hand. A fourth figure crouches above the scene, among the tree branches and vines that overhang the scene, reaching down to pull out the heart of the prone figure.

National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection

Visual Arts

Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture

National Museum of African American History and Culture

2022.4

maquettes

© Kara Walker
Permission required for use. Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.

steel with paint

H x W x D: 9 1/8 × 14 5/8 × 5 1/2 in. (23.2 × 37.1 × 14 cm)

Title • The Katastwóf Karavan

nmaahc_2022.4

NMAAHC

THE KATASTWÓF KARAVAN

National Museum of African American History and Culture

CC0

2010s

New York City • Haiti • Orleans Parish • United States • North and Central America • Louisiana • New Orleans • Algiers Point • Caribbean • Latin America

Slavery • Art • Technology • Violence

City • New York City • State • New York • Country • United States • Continent • North and Central America • Country • Haiti • Subregion • Caribbean • Region • Latin America • Locale • Algiers Point • City • New Orleans • County • Orleans Parish • State • Louisiana

Images

Limited Use