Show and Tell

Show and Tell explores Walker’s ongoing exploration of perceptions of the Black male body. These portraits depict faceless young black men often turned with their backs to the viewer. By obscuring the identity of her subjects, Walker invites an audience to scrutinise the ‘information’ available such as their clothing, hair and jewellery, in order to complete the portrait. The works investigate expressions of individuality, conformity and stereotyping.

Walker began Show and Tell in 2008 during a residency in Johannesburg, South Africa, where she invited people into her studio for a conversation about self-expression, fashion and identity. After which she photographed the participants before creating the images into a series of drawings and paintings.

For Walker, the series considers “stereotyping and how people are judged, looked upon, or perceived through their clothing.” She deliberately obscures the faces of her sitters. Instead, she draws attention to the backs of their heads and their dressed and styled bodies. She asks us to engage in active viewing and reckon with our own perceptions and prejudices, encouraging us to be aware and critical of our own gaze.