In 2019 the Hyundai Commission will be undertaken by the American artist Kara Walker, whose works have featured prominently in exhibitions around the world since the mid-1990s. Walker is renowned for her candid explorations of race, gender, sexuality and violence, from drawings, prints, murals, shadow puppets and projections to large-scale sculptural installations. She is perhaps best known for her use of black cut-paper silhouetted figures, often referencing the history of slavery and the antebellum South in the United States through provocative and elaborate installations.

Documenting the conception and creation of this latest commission, this publication includes intriguing images of work in process in the artist’s studio as well as striking photographs of the final installation. In an eloquent text, Walker also introduces a personal selection of the archival images and artworks that have influenced her during the genesis of this work.

Text by: zadie smith