This podcast episode features a conversation with Lubaina Himid, the Turner Prize-winning artist born in Zanzibar in 1954 and based in Preston, UK. Himid discusses her paintings, sculptures, and installations that center marginalized figures, diasporic cultures, and overlooked histories. She reflects on the influence of artists Stanley Spencer, Bridget Riley, and William Hogarth, as well as writers Audre Lorde and Essex Hemphill. The episode also covers her curatorial work in the 1980s, her role in the Black British Arts movement, and her admiration for peer Claudette Johnson. Upcoming exhibitions include a show with Magda Stawarska at Kettle’s Yard in Cambridge, a group show at the Institute of Contemporary Arts in London, and her representation of the British Pavilion at the 2026 Venice Biennale.
This episode matters because Lubaina Himid is a pivotal figure in contemporary British art, having been a crucial organizer and voice for Black artists and women artists since the 1980s. Her work directly engages with structural racism and historical injustice while remaining poetic and joyous, offering a model for art that is both critically rigorous and accessible. The podcast provides rare insight into her creative process and the intellectual influences behind her practice, and it highlights major upcoming exhibitions that underscore her enduring relevance and institutional recognition.