Lubaina Himid exhibition, Tate Modern

For more than 30 years the painter, writer and curator Lubaina Himid has dedicated her multi-disciplinary practice to exploring questions of race, gender, class and overlooked histories. She has played a pivotal role in the British Black arts movement since the 80s, championing the work of underrepresented contemporaries at home and abroad. She says that her paintings, drawings, prints and installations seek to bring recognition to ‘the contribution black people have made to cultural life in Europe for the past several hundred years’.

Over the past decade, Himid has become a household name. In 2017, she won the Turner Prize and in 2018 she was awarded a CBE for her contribution to the arts. She has also been the subject of solo exhibitions at museums around the world, including The New Museum in New York, The Frans Hals Museum in The Netherlands and Spike Island in Bristol. In recent years, Himid’s work has seen a surge in demand at contemporary art fairs such as Art Basel.

This large-scale Tate Modern exhibition, opening in November 2021, brings together new work and selected highlights from across Himid’s influential career that reflect on her innovative approaches to painting and to social engagement. Inspired by her interest in theatre – Himid studied Theatre Design at Wimbledon College of Arts before becoming an artist – the exhibition will unfold in a sequence of scenes designed to thrust visitors centre stage. It’s gratifying that Himid will finally receive such prestigious institutional recognition here in the UK.