Lubaina Himid, the 71-year-old British artist, is representing Britain at the Venice Biennale with a solo exhibition in the British Pavilion. Known for her decades-long career addressing Black identity and colonial history through paintings, textiles, and cut-out figures, Himid installed her work early and even got married in the lead-up to the biennale. She follows fellow Black British artists John Akomfrah and Sonia Boyce in recent years, completing a trio of artists from the same generation to take over the pavilion.
Himid's selection marks a significant milestone after a 40-year struggle against an art world that once marginalized her. She was called a 'cultural terrorist' and told at the Royal College of Art that 'there was no such thing as a black artist.' Her Turner Prize win in 2017, after age eligibility rules changed, signaled a shift. Now, representing Britain at the world's most prestigious art exhibition, her career arc underscores the slow but meaningful diversification of the art establishment.