Carrie Mae Weems attacks race and gender through photographs

By By Natalie Moore
Carrie Mae Weems attacks race and gender through photographs
'The Kitchen Table Series' by Carrie Mae Weems chronicles the story of one African-American woman. Photo courtesy of Carrie Mae Weems.
Carrie Mae Weems attacks race and gender through photographs
'The Kitchen Table Series' by Carrie Mae Weems chronicles the story of one African-American woman. Photo courtesy of Carrie Mae Weems.

Carrie Mae Weems attacks race and gender through photographs

By By Natalie Moore
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A photo exhibit tackling race and gender is currently up at the Art Institute of Chicago’s Modern Wing.

The “Kitchen Table Series” was created by Carrie Mae Weems in 1990. Through 20 black and white photos, Weems chronicled the story of one African-American woman. The woman falls in love, raises a child and is comforted by friends through heartbreak. And all of this plays out around a single kitchen table.

The black woman in the photos stands-in for universal concerns around family and love. Recently WBEZ’s Natalie Moore caught up with Weems, to see how “The Kitchen Table Series” has held up.

Music Button: The Afro Soul-Tet, (Mozamba), from the CD Presenting the Afro Soul-Tet, (Ubiquity)