The British Council is pleased to announce that artist Lubaina Himid will represent the UK at the 61st International Art Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia in 2026, presenting a major solo exhibition of new work in the British Pavilion.
Lubaina Himid CBE RA (b. 1954, Zanzibar) is a world-renowned British artist, known for a pioneering practice which addresses themes of race, history, feminism, cultural memory and identity. She frequently employs storytelling and historical research to challenge dominant Eurocentric narratives and highlight the overlooked contributions of Black figures in Western history.
Himid lives and works in Preston, UK and is Emeritus Professor of Contemporary Art at the University of Central Lancashire. One of the pioneers of the Black British Art Movement, Himid curated several significant exhibitions in the 1980s and 1990s, such as Five Black Women (1983) at the Africa Centre, London and The Thin Black Line (1985) at the Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA), London, both of which showcased the work of Black female artists in response to their exclusion from mainstream galleries. In 2017, Himid was awarded the Turner Prize and in 2018 she received the honorary title of CBE for her contributions to the arts.
On accepting the British Council commission, Himid said: “I laughed out loud with both disbelief and pleasure when I found out about this wonderful invitation to represent Britain at the Venice Biennale in 2026. It is such a great honour and at the same time a brilliant and exciting opportunity to make something particularly special, which resonates with multiple audiences, communicates with complex histories and looks to a more collaborative future.”
Emma Dexter, Director Visual Arts and the British Council Collection and Commissioner of the British Pavilion said: “Himid pushes the boundaries of painting practice through sound and sculptural installation, incorporating new materials, textures, narratives and formats in her work. Combining a radical optimism with social critique, she will transform the Pavilion with her vibrant, articulate and spatially dynamic artworks. Himid’s exhibitions take the visitor on an exploratory journey, which is why it’s so exciting to imagine how she will use the enfilade of six spaces in the British Pavilion. We are truly delighted to be working with Lubaina Himid on the British Council commission for 2026.”
Cortina Butler, Interim Director of Arts at the British Council said: “Lubaina Himid’s work as an artist and a curator invites reassessment of history, identity and representation and visitors to her exhibition will undoubtedly be challenged and delighted in equal measure. For nearly 90 years the British Council has been the custodian of the British Pavilion in Venice, commissioning art and architecture exhibitions on behalf of the United Kingdom that highlight the diverse creativity of our country. The featured artists have included Lucian Freud, Bridget Riley, Anish Kapoor, Steve McQueen and Phyllida Barlow. Lubaina Himid will be a more than worthy successor.”
For media enquiries regarding the British Council’s commission for the British Pavilion please contact: Colette Baillie – Colette.baillie@britishcouncil.org
Credit
The British Pavilion is commissioned by the British Council – please credit the British Council in all editorial features.
Images The image to accompany the release can be found here.
Artist Advisory Panel comments:
Zoé Whitley PhD, Director, Chisenhale Gallery, London: "Lubaina Himid constantly redefines painting––its surface, its audience, even its rhythm and cadence. From her training in theatre design to her tireless support of fellow artists and curators, she makes contemporary art consistently witty and purposeful. Having paved the way for so many, she never fails to experiment formally and aesthetically with text, found objects and patterning while remaining socially relevant.”
Claire Jackson, Senior Curator, Tramway, Glasgow: “The panels selection was inspired by Lubaina Himid’s ongoing cultural activism, as well as her engaging, theatrical and spatially dynamic approach to exhibition making – Himid’s figurative paintings, cut-outs and stage-like installations invite audiences to share the space with them and to listen to the stories, experiences and histories of Black British communities that they tell.”
Nigel Prince, Director, Artes Mundi, Cardiff: “Her practice speaks to the overlooked, the invisible — within histories of class, race and daily life — and in how the past holds clues to the contemporary present. The inherent performative potential within her practice and its consequent focus on sustaining a conversation with the audience in which issues of representation can be addressed, resonates powerfully with the scale, history, place and space of the British Pavilion in Venice.”
Marguerite K Nugent, Cultural Director CV Life, Coventry: “The panel all felt that she could produce something really ambitious within the neo-classical spaces of the British Pavilion. It’s brilliant news that she has accepted the invitation to participate in the 61st Venice Biennale.”
Ian Sergeant, Senior Curator Global Majority Collection, Birmingham Museum Trust: “Himid is renowned for her unique artistic approach, where she draws from a colourful palette, often incorporating a playful aesthetic. Himid’s art upends notions of representation and visibility, and can be seen as a unique critique of the Western art historical canon.”
Madeleine Kennedy, Curator, Wellcome Collection, London: “One of the selection criteria that felt crucial in our deliberations was that the chosen artist be a key player within the UK art scene. I cannot wait to experience what Himid creates within the Pavilion.”
Ben Crothers, Curator, The Naughton Gallery, Queen's University Belfast, Northern Ireland: “Her work, which seamlessly weaves storytelling, activism, and striking visual forms, challenges perceptions of identity, history, and culture, and I eagerly anticipate the exhibition that she will bring to this international stage. Although the selection panel had a wealth of exceptional artistic talent to consider, Himid’s work captivated us at every stage of the process. This moment in her remarkable career felt undeniably fitting for such an opportunity.”
Nicole Yip, Director, Spike Island, Bristol: “Lubaina Himid is one of the defining artists of her generation. Differences in power have historically manifested in asymmetrical access to the international stage. It is heartening to see this historical imbalance beginning to be addressed.”
Exhibition details
The British Pavilion is commissioned and managed by British Council Arts.
Commissioner: Emma Dexter
For news on the British Council commission: https://venicebiennale.britishcouncil.org/
For British Council Venice press office updates visit: https://venicebiennale.britishcouncil.org/press
About Lubaina Himid, RA, CBE
One of the pioneers of the Black British Art Movement, Himid curated several significant exhibitions in the 1980s and 1990s, such as Five Black Women (1983) at the Africa Centre, London and The Thin Black Line (1985) at the Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA), London, both of which showcased the work of Black female artists in response to their exclusion from mainstream galleries. In 2025 Himid will reimagine this iconic exhibition at the ICA to expand contemporary interpretations and conversations around art making.
Himid has a profound interest in the materiality and performativity of painting, shaped by her degree in Theatre Design obtained from Wimbledon College of Art. This approach can be seen in her cut-outs, figurative paintings created on freestanding shaped board which allow viewers to walk among them. A Fashionable Marriage (1986) is an early installation that critiques race, gender and class, drawing inspiration from William Hogarth’s satirical paintings. Other notable works include Naming the Money (2004), consisting of 100 life-size cut-outs which reimagines the lives of enslaved and forgotten Black figures in European history and Swallow Hard: The Lancaster Dinner Service (2007), a collection of overpainted ceramic pieces which addresses Britain’s involvement in the transatlantic slave trade. Her skillful overpainting allows her to overlay new and old histories on the surfaces of everyday objects and furniture.
Himid frequently employs storytelling and historical research, notably in the Le Rodeur series of paintings (2016–17), named after a 19th-century French slave ship infamous for a horrific event in 1819 in which captured Africans, many of whom had contracted an infectious eye disease during the voyage, were thrown overboard by the crew. The figures Himid paints in various scenarios are not obviously set in one period of time, they remind us of the past and its impact on the present. By re-examining and re-contextualizing historical narratives, Himid challenges contemporary audiences to critically engage with collective perceptions of racial and cultural identity, amplifying marginalised voices and overlooked histories.
Himid’s ongoing series Men in Drawers (2017–) sees painted portraits on the interiors of found wooden drawers which transform everyday objects into vessels of historical reflection. Drawers represent concealed spaces within domestic settings; by placing Black figures inside these compartments Himid invites viewers to engage in a process of discovery. Himid created the Aunties (2023) a series of 64 individually painted and collaged narrow planks representing the ‘auntie’ - an interstitial role which honours the women in our lives who expand our understanding of kinship and family.
In the Strategy Paintings (2023) Himid delves into the complexities of problem-solving and decision-making by depicting groups of people gathered around tables discussing an issue, question or problem with symbolic objects such as lemons, teeth and gondolas.
Lubaina Himid CBE RA (b. 1954, Zanzibar) lives and works in Preston, UK and is Emeritus Professor of Contemporary Art at the University of Central Lancashire. She is the winner of the 2017 Turner Prize, the 2023 Maria Lassnig Prize and the 2024 Suzanne Deal Booth | Flag Art Foundation Prize. She has exhibited extensively in the UK and internationally and is represented by Hollybush Gardens, London and Greene Naftali, New York.
Forthcoming solo exhibitions include MUDAM, Luxembourg and Kettle’s Yard, Cambridge with Magda Stawarska (2025). Significant solo exhibitions include UCCA, Beijing (2025);
