A brush with… Lubaina Himid

Lubaina Himid talks to Ben Luke about her influences—from writers to musicians, film-makers and, of course, other artists—and the cultural experiences that have shaped her life and work. Himid was born 1954 in Zanzibar and lives today in Preston, UK. Her paintings, sculptures and installations are an invitation to consider marginalised figures, communities and diasporic cultures, to expand the histories that frame our worldview, and ultimately to effect change. From the 1980s, Lubaina has been both artist and organiser, a prolific collaborator, and a crucial voice in establishing a platform for Black artists and women artists in the UK and beyond. Engaging directly with historic and contemporary injustice and structural racism, while relating personal and intimate experiences and feelings, and reinterpreting and reimagining Western art history, her work is rigorously critical and yet poetic, sensuous, humorous and often joyous. She talks about the early impact of Stanley Spencer and Bridget Riley, the inexhaustible influence of William Hogarth, her curatorial work of the mid-1980s and her admiration for her peer in the Black British Arts movement Claudette Johnson. She also reflects on the influence of writers including Audre Lorde and Essex Hemphill. Plus, she gives insight into her life in the studio and answers our usual questions, including the ultimate: what is art for?

Lubaina Himid with Magda Stawarska: Another Chance Encounter, Kettle’s Yard, Cambridge, 12 July-2 November; Connecting Thin Black Lines, Institute of Contemporary Arts, London, 24 June-7 September. Lubaina Himid, British Pavilion, Venice Biennale, 9 May-22 November 2026

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