Black British art is becoming more well-known than ever before.
At the Venice Biennale, possibly the most famous art show in the world, a dark-skinned, braided Black British woman in her early 60s was praised and honored for her brilliance. It was a historic event. This comes after a lifetime of producing work and aiming for fame in the field. This happened just a year ago when Sonia Boyce’s work “Feeling Her Way,” which was made utilizing the sounds of five Black female musicians, received the Golden Lion at the Venice Biennale.
From auction records for the late Nigerian artist Ben Enwomwu to an unprecedented number of museum exhibitions from the Victoria & Albert Museum to the Tate Britain that celebrated Black creativity and Black cultural identity, this was a wonderfully bright moment in a period of many bright moments for Black and African art in recent years. The museums were reevaluating their archives and finally giving representation to the Black British creative genius that has always existed.
Black contemporary art provides the viewpoint that is lacking.
Over the past fifty years, Black contemporary art has filled the gap in understanding the Black experience in Africa and the diaspora. Similar to Yinka Shonibare’s milieu, this is in terms of reevaluating the colonial experience from an African perspective. However, the late great photographer Seydou Keita is also giving fresh stories on how amazing, joyful, and ambitious African life is.
Below are two examples of this artists’ work. La Méduse, a painting by Yinka Shonibare, is located on the left. The French warship La Méduse, which was dispatched to Senegal in 1810 as part of the French conquest of that country, served as the model for Shonibare. La Méduse’s story is amazing since the ship actually ended up as a shipwreck, causing chaos. This work by Shonibare is a fantastic illustration of how African art enables the sharing of many African viewpoints on world history.
Seydou Keita, a virtuoso of African photography, took the image on the right. In the early 2000s, I vividly recall visiting a gallery where Seydou Keita limited edition photos were being sold for £650. It would have been a fantastic investment and the focal point of every home I’ve owned since, if I had only made the required sacrifices at the time to purchase one.
Who are the newest artists and how can we help them both by attending their shows and buying their creations? That is the question that Positive Black Images Fine Art poses.
A GOLDEN CHANCE TO DESIGN OUR HOMES
Pieces by the renowned Black painters of the day were genuinely cheap just twenty years ago (although with a few overdrafts!). Although the works of artists like Chris Ofili, Yinka Shonibare, Seydou Keita, and Kehinde Wiley were obviously brilliant, they had not yet achieved the kind of international recognition that they currently enjoy. In fact, most of us can’t afford their paintings these days.
But the cycle goes on, and right now—possibly more than ever—we have a fantastic opportunity in Black art. Many amazing Black artists are presently offering their unique works for sale. At Cornrow HQ, we refer to this situation as a win-win-win situation where you triple win by supporting these artists since you:
Get a lovely item for your house.
are able to help a Black artist pursue their artistic endeavors (and, if you buy from Positive Black Images Fine Art, support a Black-owned business as well!) Lastly,
The artist’s work may increase in value over time, giving you the opportunity to make an investment.
These three amazing painters have their original works up for sale on Positive Black Images Fine Art right now. We have chosen certain artists because their creations provide us with the same joys as those amazing artists did two decades ago (yeah, we are getting old!).
Limited editions provide a splash to gallery walls.
Investing in limited editions of artists’ works is another fantastic way to get started with diaspora art. Produced on premium giclée paper, these editions are frequently autographed by the artist and come in limited quantities of 20, 50, or 100 prints.
When carefully framed, these prints rival real artwork and make fantastic complements to gallery walls! Along with the other advantages of supporting Black artists, the triple win still holds true even though the investment potential won’t be as great as it would be for originals.
Your living area gains vitality and personality with black art.
According to Michael Jackson, Black-British art is a fantastic way to infuse your living space with vitality and represent your individuality, regardless of your race.
It is really empowering for you and your family members to see representations of yourself and your experience, or your ideal settings, in your house as a Black person.
Supporting Black art is a great way to infuse your house with a different spirit if you’re not Black. It also demonstrates that the art you value may be a window into the identity and experience of another person, rather than only reflecting your own.
For Black artists, this is undoubtedly a fantastic moment to receive the credit (and compensation!) they are due. As art enthusiasts and consumers, we have a significant role to play in supporting these artists, but institutions and galleries must do the effort to maintain the momentum. So go ahead and get your hands on that Van Gogh or Jack Vertriano print you acquired on that museum visit years ago, and start shopping for beautiful art and supporting Positive Black Images!