A special blog by our Policy Project Officer, Japheth Monzon
This article aims to share the brilliant work of Barbara Walker, to reflect on the important social commentary embedded in her artistry, and to begin contemplating how Walker’s insights into society is being practised by Black South West Network in our programmes and approach to community wealth building.
Barbara Walker – empathetic artist, diligent mother, and faithful documentarian – is arguably one of the crowning jewels of Britain’s contemporary art scene. Born in Birmingham as part of its British Caribbean community, Walker’s work delves into themes of documentation, recording, and erasure. By translating the everyday, ordinary practices of her fellow community members into colossal-scale drawings, Walker enables the viewer to understand the intimate nuances of community practice and lived experience. As an artist, her repertoire is inextricably linked to aspects of social activism, which seeks to initiate dialogue to better inform the past, present, and future of British cultural life.
“One of the most talented, productive and committed artists of her generation” – Dr Eddie Chambers
Oftentimes the issue of representation is contentious, particularly in Western fine arts. Barbara Walker aims to reverse this trend through providing her subjects with, not just representation on a canvas, but through an artistic relationship marked by earned trust and and understanding eyes. It is inarguable that Walker works hard to gain the trust and respect of her subjects. After all, the practice of art described as ‘everyday life’ can be intrusive, breaching the boundaries of public and private, external and internal, the general and the personal. I should know. As researchers of social practices, our work often demands access to the recesses of our subjects’ lives, translated into a medium accessible to the public. This practice, much like Walker, demands a degree of trust between researcher and the researched. So for her subjects to so openly provide her an intimate look into their everyday lives speaks to the degree of mutual trust and respect held between Walker and her numerous subjects.
Looking at her work, I can understand why. Walker not only emphasises the beauty of Blackness within her subject, but also (both implicitly and explicitly) explores themes of documentation, recording, representation, and erasure. Our own work with cultural heritage, through the UnMuseum, helps us understand that historical problems within racialised communities not only stems from which kinds of content is being documented, but also what is being documented, how they are being documented, and by whom.
Art that woefully misunderstands the lives of subjects risks doing more harm than good, particularly for those who belong to already marginalised communities. That is why Barbara’s efforts to take considerable care of the subject and the trust they put in her is so important. In doing so, Walker’s art can engender positive social change that gets to the heart of the matter. Looking through her collections, there were several that stuck with me.
The Sitter (2002) as well as Boundary I, II, and III (2002) takes an intimate look at Birmingham’s Black barbers, examining the subtle social rituals central to African-Caribbean hair care. Indeed, this particular set of works is reminiscent of Roy ‘Barber’ Shaw (1940 - 2024) who was a staple in Bristol’s Black barber scene. Stationed at BSWN’s Coach House for numerous decades, the outpouring of love at his passing was evidence of his importance to so many people’s lives.
Boundary II (2000) by Barbara Walker
Barbara’s Louder than Words (2006-2009) delves deeply into the institutional racism of policing in Britain by imposing her artistic subjects on write-ups issued to her son throughout numerous areas of Birmingham. By infusing art and social commentary, Walker provides an avenue for conversation and action by breaking down barriers that seek to separate the aesthetic from the political. BSWN’s own work recognises this kind of institutional racism, with the Access to Justice project seeking to empower individuals and communities to organise against and critique overarching institutional power structures that perpetuate prejudicial punishment.
Untitled (2006) by Barbara Walker as part of the Louder Than Words collection
The collection that resonated the most with me is Vanishing Point (2018) which shifts the focus of subjects in well-known Western classical paintings. More often than not, Western classical art forefronts White subjects as the primary focus of the viewers’ eyes, with Black subjects situated within the background – often embodying a subservient role as servant, attendant, or slave. Barbara Walker’s Vanishing Point aims to reverse this troublesome trend by placing focus solely on the Black subject, etching them with considerable detail and care. And the other subjects? Walker only sketches their outline, maintaining a blank space, perhaps to emphasise the erasure imposed upon the racialised subject for centuries. The UnMuseum Project, a piece of work at BSWN that I hold close to my heart, is built on this very premise. The reclamation of cultural heritage, respectful representation, and proper attribution of an artists’ skill is central to the UnMuseum’s mission; with hopes that artistic integrity and the archiving of cultural heritage will finally be placed in the hands of the racialised communities in which these pieces of art originate from.
Vanishing Point 2 (2018) by Barbara Walker, inspired by Willem Van Herp the Elder’s St Antonius of Padua Distributing Bread (est. 1662)
St Antonius Distributes Bread (est. 1662) by Willem Van Herp the Elder
Barbara Walker’s collection of artistic pieces ingeniously infuses the political with the artistic and the social, providing much needed commentary on the issues that affect Black communities in the United Kingdom today. Her work is celebrated throughout the nation, and deservedly has the recognition of numerous contemporaries of Walker.
If you’re fascinated by the work of Barbara Walker, her most recent collection ‘Being Here’ will be exhibited at Bristol’s Arnolfini from the 8th of March to the 25th of May 2025. Make sure to save the date and pay her collection a visit!
Sources
Eddie Chambers, ‘Black Artists in British Art: A History since the 1950s’ (2014)