Born in Zanzibar but raised in London, Lubaina Himid is a painter whose work seeks to put the experience of people of African descent front and center. Lubaina graduated from the Royal College of Art in the 1970s and went on to play a pivotal role in the British Black Arts movement of the 1980s, before relocating to Preston in the North of England to become a Professor at the University of Central Lancashire. Her bold and witty acrylic paintings celebrate Black creativity, investigate the legacy of slavery, and tell stories that challenge the way people of color have been misrepresented or silenced throughout history. We featured Lubaina as part of “Yes, but why?,” a special series by WePresent and Tate galleries that explored the inner minds of the world’s best artists, and featured the likes of Keith Haring, Yayoi Kusama, Olafur Eliasson and Zanele Muholi. Lubaina was made an MBE in 2010, and won the Turner Prize in 2017. Her significant solo exhibitions include “Spotlights” (2019) at Tate Britain, London, and “Work From Underneath” at New Museum, New York.
