Life-size painted figures that explore Black History by British artist Lubaina Himid

Lubaina's narratives question ideas by reasserting the importance of marginalised histories and visual cultures. In particular, by challenging the stereotypical depictions of black figures in art history, she foregrounds the contribution of the African diaspora to Western culture.

Now you can see her latest works, which are to be presented simultaneously across three leading UK institutions in 2017, marking a significant moment in Lubaina's career and celebrating her vital contribution as an artist, curator, archivist and writer in Britain over the past four decades.

Two survey exhibitions, the first to focus on her work, will take place at Spike Island, Bristol, and Modern Art Oxford, opening in January 2017, while Nottingham Contemporary’s landmark group exhibition, opening in February 2017, contextualises Lubaina's work within the Black Arts Movement in Britain in the 1980s.

At Spike Island, the exhibition – Navigation Charts – includes a spectacular installation of 100 life-size, painted figures that portrays a mass gathering of African slaves from the courts of 18th century Europe. At Modern Art Oxford, Invisible Strategies will bring together many of Lubaina's paintings, sculptures, ceramics and works on paper to highlight he thought-provoking style. At Notting Contemporary, The Place Is Here will trace the urgent and wide-ranging conversations taking place between black artists, writers and thinkers in the UK during the 1980s.

Via Creative Boom submission | All images courtesy of the artist

Main image: Lubaina Himid, Carrot Piece, 1985. Courtesy the artist and Hollybush Gardens, photo Andy Keate