British Black art pioneers exhibition

The work of four prominent Black British artists who rose during the period of unrest in the 1980s will be on display at a special exhibition in Sheffield later this month.

Known as the The Blk Art Group, it featured the likes of Eddie Chambers, Keith Piper, Donald Rodney and Marlene Smith, who produced powerful, defiant and thought-provoking pieces in the 80s which raised awareness of Black British art at a time when the then Conservative government advocated an anti-immigration agenda, the BNP were on the rise and the Brixton riots took place.

The exhibition comes at a poignant time with echoes of the struggles, injustice and unrest faced by the Black community in the 1980s against today's climate. The exhibition is a strong example of how a group of pioneering artists emerged to express themselves in the form of art and depict their feelings on the canvas.

The foursome made powerful responses to the crisis in race relations. All of them were brought up in Britain after their parents moved to the country during the 1950s and 1960s. The artists faced racism throughout their lives and produced work which actively engaged with the struggle of Black people in the UK and overseas and were heavily influenced by the Black Power movement in the US.

They have used a wide range of materials, including straw, newspaper and text. Their work was considered radical and though active for only a short period of time, they were a catalyst in raising the profile of the vibrant Black art scene in the UK.

The exhibition will see Chambers’ How Much Longer (1984) and Piper’s Black Assassin Saints (1984), alongside later work from Rodney’s Britannia Hospital series (1988) from Sheffield’s collection shown together for the first time in over 20 years.

The exhibition will also explore the role that regional galleries, including those in the city, played in supporting and promoting Black British art at a time when many public art institutions were reluctant to engage with the work of Black artists.

The Blk Art Group: 1983–1984 exhibition opens at Sheffield's Graves Gallery on August 27.

Picture: Kieth Piper’s Black Assassin Saints (1984)

Zohaib Rashid