Lubaina Himid

(Tanzania-England, 1954 - )

Widely regarded as a central figure in the British Black Arts Movement of the 1980s, Himid’s work as an artist, curator and cultural activist has profoundly shaped the landscape of contemporary art in the United Kingdom and beyond. Having spent more than four decades interrogating histories of race, representation, erasure and power, she has continuously created vital spaces for artists of African and Caribbean descent to be seen and celebrated.

Born in Zanzibar, Tanzania and moving to London with her mother at four-months old, Himid began her artistic education in 1972, obtaining a Bachelor of Theatre Design from Wimbledon College of Art, and later received a Master of Cultural History from the Royal College of Art in 1984. This interdisciplinary training strongly informs her practice, which often combines painting, installation, cut-out figures, sound, theatrical staging and architectural elements to draw viewers into complex historical and emotional terrains by revealing the stories of those erased by colonial expansion.

Throughout her career, Himid has challenged the absence and marginalisation of Black figures within Western art history. Her paintings and installations reclaim overlooked individuals and reimagine historical narratives, often focusing on the lives of Black servants, sailors, musicians and intellectuals who were erased or stereotyped within colonial and imperial visual culture. Rather than offering didactic corrections, Himid’s work employs wit and a deep sensitivity to colour, pattern, movement and rhythm so as to encourage sustained and reflective engagement.

Equally significant is Himid’s role as a curator and advocate. In the 1980s and 1990s, she curated a series of groundbreaking exhibitions, including The Thin Black Line (1985), which foregrounded the work of Black women artists at a time when institutional recognition was scarce. These curatorial projects were not merely supplementary to her studio practice, but they were integral to her broader artistic vision, emphasising the importance of collective visibility, dialogue and historical accountability.

Himid has also been a dedicated educator and has held a professorship position in Contemporary Art at the University of Central Lancashire, where she mentored generations of artists and thinkers. Her pedagogical approach, like her art, foregrounds critical inquiry, generosity and the importance of cultural context. 

In 2017, Lubaina Himid became the first Black woman to win the Turner Prize, a landmark recognition that brought renewed international attention to her work, and in 2026 she will represent Britain at the Venice Biennale, being only the second woman of colour to do so after Sonia Boyce in 2022.  

Throughout her successful career, she has exhibited widely in major institutions, including the Victoria & Albert Museum, Tate Britain, the New Museum in New York and the Walker Art Gallery in Liverpool. Despite long-overdue recognition, her practice remains grounded in sustained research, community engagement and a commitment to expanding the narratives that shape how history is remembered and imagined, ultimately calling us to look more closely, to listen more carefully and to acknowledge the intertwined histories that continue to inform the present.

Image: Lubaina Himid, Between the Two my Heart is Balanced (1991). Acrylic paint on canvas, 121.8 x 152.4 cm. Royal Academy, U.K.