Viewing Lubaina Himid

Lubaina Himid is one of Britain’s most influential living artists — from her pivotal role in the British Black arts movement of the 1980s to winning the Turner Prize in 2017. Now she’s enjoying her largest solo show to date at Tate Modern.

Spanning four decades, this landmark exhibition focuses on the breath and diversity of Himid’s practice, while also exploring her continued interest in audience participation. ‘I have always thought of my work as starting when people get to see it,’ Himid says. ‘For me nothing starts until then.’

There are over 50 works on display, from early installations including the well-known A Fashionable Marriage (1984) to new paintings created during lockdown. A major highlight is Blue Grid Test (2020), created by Himid in collaboration with artist Magda Stawarska-Beavan. Displayed in the UK for the first time, this 25-metre-long painting features 64 patterns from all over the world, each painted a different shade of blue.

‘Patterns occur when I am talking to myself and trying to make visual the music, the sound, the noise and the poetry which underpins all of my work,’ Himid says. Compelling and uplifting, this exhibition is not to be missed.