Fashion talk …
The kangas, or “speaking clothes” as Lubaina Himid puts it, of her birthplace Zanzibar have been a recurring feature of her work since she first returned to the country in her mid-40s. As ubiquitous as T-shirts, they’re a cloth worn by women, combining a patterned border with a picture and pithy phrase.
Eyeballing …
Why Are You Looking is from a new series of flag-like kanga paintings, where depictions of our insides are paired with phrases by black writers such as James Baldwin or Audre Lorde. Here, the diagram of an eye resembles a breast but it suggests more than a deft visual pun.
Do look now …
Since the 1980s, Himid has been drawing attention to overlooked black culture and history, from slavery atrocities to creating a space for contemporary artists, treading an easy line between global and personal politics.
Life’s tapestry …
Clothes have long been an important reference for Himid, thanks partly to a fashion-obsessed mum who took her on childhood outings to see the fabrics in London’s Liberty and V&A.
Lubaina Himid: Our Kisses Are Petals, BALTIC, Gateshead, to 28 October
