Larissa Watson (Benton Park School) reviews Eddie Chambers' "Black Artists in British Art"

Eddie Chambers’s Black Artists in British Art is a book that I would undoubtedly recommend to anyone whether they’re a student, a researcher, or just about anyone who may want to gain a wider perception of what Black British art has been like previously as it is clear what an extensive amount of thought and research has been put into producing this book, providing us with all the history and context that we may need. Each chapter of this book moves forward through history, stating the monumental exhibitions and crediting every individual artist whose work was on display or whose extraordinary creations have been vital towards paving the way for Black British artists now.

 

Although I find it great that Chambers has taken the time to identify and credit each artist whose art was featured in the different exhibitions throughout history, it saddens me that most names were unheard-of. For example, when on the subject of artists, you never seem to hear of any Black British artists from the past which is disquieting to know as these artists have created some exemplary work and yet they didn’t succeed in getting the recognition they so truly deserve.

 

Something I agreed with in this book was...

When Chambers states that in the past, foreign-Born artists were frequently ‘not seen beyond the labels of nationality’. Although this is unfair, Chambers has perfectly put it into words how unfairly artists were treated just because of their ethnicity.

Something I disagreed with in this book was...

I wouldn’t exactly say that I disagreed with anything in this book.

Something I learned from reading this book that I didn't know about this subject before was...

I previously didn’t know about Sonia Boyce and how influential she was with the emergence of black artists in 1980s Britain, it was definitely a very interesting thing to learn about.