Lubaina Himid with Magda Stawarska

Initially trained in theatre design, Himid is best known for her innovative approaches to painting and social engagement, playing a pivotal role in the British Black Arts movement since the 1980s. Over the last decade, she has earned international recognition for her figurative canvases, which explore overlooked and invisible aspects of history and contemporary daily life.

At Kettle’s Yard, her new work will centre on what is missing from the telling of life stories, who is left out of narratives, what strategies are used to fill in the gaps and the objects we choose to leave behind as clues.

There will also be a new installation that builds on Himid and Stawarska’s Blue Grid Test (2020), drawing on correspondence between writer and artist Sophie Brzeska and artist Nina Hamnett. Alongside smaller interventions, Himid will also show a new largescale painting in the Kettle’s Yard house.