Over the last four decades, Lubaina Himid has served as an increasingly influential figure in contemporary art, from her role in the Black British art movement of the 1980s to winning a Turner prize in 2017 and receiving an honorary CBE for her impact on British art and culture.

From November 25th, Tate Modern will present Himid’s largest solo exhibition to date, bringing together new pieces of work and significant highlights across the span of her colourful career. Taking inspiration from the artist’s background and interest in opera and theatre design, the show unveils a sequence of scenes to actively invite us, the audience to take both centre-stage and behind the scenes.

Throughout the series, Himid encourages us to consider how our environments, history, personal relationships, and conflicts have shaped the lives we lead whilst painting a series of narratives in her work. With over 50 works on display from everyday objects, poetic texts, and sounds to paintings, the exhibition offers a rare chance to not just witness but experience the full breadth of Lubaina Himid’s career. See early installations such as the well-known A Fashionable Marriage 1984 and recent works such as her series of large-format paintings Le Rodeur 2016-18. New paintings and work created during lockdown also go on display for the first time ever. Himid states: “I have always thought of my work as starting when people get to see it. For me, nothing starts until then.”

Throughout her career, Himid has explored and expanded the idea of storytelling in her work, encouraging the viewer to become an active participant. In fact, in the guided booklet of her Tate exhibition, she refers to viewers of performers. In her installation of Jelly mold Pavilion 2010, a series of hand-painted ceramic models celebrate the contributions of the African diaspora and invite viewers to reflect on the roles of monuments in public spaces.

A major highlight of the exhibition is the presence of sound installations including Blue Grid Test 2020, which is an immersive collaboration between Himid and artist Stawarska-Beavan and inspired by Joni Mitchell’s song Blue, featuring Himid’s own voice. This delicate 25-metre-long painting encompasses 64 patterns from all around the world, each painted in different blues on top of a variety of objects including pictures, scrolls, musical instruments, and more. Reflecting on this idea, Himid poses the question on gallery walls to visitors: ‘What does love sound like?’

The Tate Modern Late Show

Although the exhibition is displayed throughout the day from November 25th to July 3rd of 2022, the gallery is also presenting Tate Modern Lates on Friday the 26th November from 6pm to 10pm which is free. This popular late event at the Tate Modern offers a free evening of music, live performances, discussions, films, and workshops. Visitors will hear DJ sets programmed by Azeema, learn more about architecture from Unscene Architecture, watch films by Rosa Johan Uddoh, and more.

Be sure to book your tickets ASAP here

Here is a little inside look into the exhibit…