Vanishing Point 24 (Mingard), 2021
Barbara Walker
Graphite and coloured pencil on embossed paper
Drawing on public archives and art collections, British figurative artist Barbara Walker (b.1964) seeks out instances of Black absence in Western art history to raise questions around representation and belonging. Walker's works can be understood as vital documents of social commentary that highlight cultural and political issues in contemporary British life. From small, embossed works on paper through to large-scale oil paintings and monumental, site-specific wall drawings in charcoal, Walker's wide-ranging practice initiates conversations about race, gender and powder.
Vanishing Point, a series of graphite drawings on embossed paper begun in 2018, interrogates the representation of Black figures in works by artists traditionally identified as 'Old Masters'. In recreating historical artworks that depict Black figures in roles of servitude, Walker shifts the focus onto the often-unidentified Black subjects. Vanishing Point 24 (Mignard) references Pierre Mignard's painting Louise de Kérouaille, Duchess of Portsmouth, with an Unknown Female Attendant (1682) in the Collection of the National Portrait Gallery. In Walker's adaptation, the duchess is reduced to an embossed outline, while the young servant girl is rendered in exquisite detail. 'The girl is a possession,; Walker points out, 'but she's got this stoic look. It's emotionally and psychologically disturbing but, as I draw, I imagine that I'm extracting and saving her;.*
From the exhibition
The Time is Always Now: Artists Reframe the Black Figure
(February - May 2024)
A major study of the Black figure – and its representation in contemporary art.
The exhibition, curated by writer Ekow Eshun, showcases the work of contemporary artists from the African diaspora, including Michael Armitage, Lubaina Himid, Kerry James Marshall, Toyin Ojih Odutola and Amy Sherald, and highlights the use of figures to illuminate the richness and complexity of Black life. As well as surveying the presence of the Black figure in Western art history, we examine its absence – and the story of representation told through these works, as well as the social, psychological and cultural contexts in which they were produced.
The exhibition features the work of leading artists including Njideka Akunyili Crosby, Hurvin Anderson, Michael Armitage, Jordan Casteel, Noah Davis, Godfried Donkor, Kimathi Donkor, Denzil Forrester, Lubaina Himid, Claudette Johnson, Titus Kaphar, Kerry James Marshall, Wangechi Mutu, Toyin Ojih Odutola, Chris Ofili, Jennifer Packer, Nathaniel Mary Quinn, Thomas J Price, Amy Sherald, Lorna Simpson, Henry Taylor and Barbara Walker
[*National Portrait Gallery]
Taken at the National Portrait Gallery
Vanishing Point 24 (Mingard), 2021
Barbara Walker
Graphite and coloured pencil on embossed paper
Drawing on public archives and art collections, British figurative artist Barbara Walker (b.1964) seeks out instances of Black absence in Western art history to raise questions around representation and belonging. Walker's works can be understood as vital documents of social commentary that highlight cultural and political issues in contemporary British life. From small, embossed works on paper through to large-scale oil paintings and monumental, site-specific wall drawings in charcoal, Walker's wide-ranging practice initiates conversations about race, gender and powder.
Vanishing Point, a series of graphite drawings on embossed paper begun in 2018, interrogates the representation of Black figures in works by artists traditionally identified as 'Old Masters'. In recreating historical artworks that depict Black figures in roles of servitude, Walker shifts the focus onto the often-unidentified Black subjects. Vanishing Point 24 (Mignard) references Pierre Mignard's painting Louise de Kérouaille, Duchess of Portsmouth, with an Unknown Female Attendant (1682) in the Collection of the National Portrait Gallery. In Walker's adaptation, the duchess is reduced to an embossed outline, while the young servant girl is rendered in exquisite detail. 'The girl is a possession,; Walker points out, 'but she's got this stoic look. It's emotionally and psychologically disturbing but, as I draw, I imagine that I'm extracting and saving her;.*
From the exhibition
The Time is Always Now: Artists Reframe the Black Figure
(February - May 2024)
A major study of the Black figure – and its representation in contemporary art.
The exhibition, curated by writer Ekow Eshun, showcases the work of contemporary artists from the African diaspora, including Michael Armitage, Lubaina Himid, Kerry James Marshall, Toyin Ojih Odutola and Amy Sherald, and highlights the use of figures to illuminate the richness and complexity of Black life. As well as surveying the presence of the Black figure in Western art history, we examine its absence – and the story of representation told through these works, as well as the social, psychological and cultural contexts in which they were produced.
The exhibition features the work of leading artists including Njideka Akunyili Crosby, Hurvin Anderson, Michael Armitage, Jordan Casteel, Noah Davis, Godfried Donkor, Kimathi Donkor, Denzil Forrester, Lubaina Himid, Claudette Johnson, Titus Kaphar, Kerry James Marshall, Wangechi Mutu, Toyin Ojih Odutola, Chris Ofili, Jennifer Packer, Nathaniel Mary Quinn, Thomas J Price, Amy Sherald, Lorna Simpson, Henry Taylor and Barbara Walker
[*National Portrait Gallery]
Taken at the National Portrait Gallery