In the week when Barbados freed itself from its colonial shackles and ditched The Queen as its head of state by becoming a republic, the timely opening of Life Between Islands is another exhibition that adds to the rich and creative input that black people have given to Britain’s history. Another exhibition that adds to the recent documentaries and dramas on TV and in theatres that helps us as a nation to move away from the idea of Black History being a separate entity and think of the past as Our History, writes Michael Holland.
The exhibition showcases four generations of artists over 70 years of culture and experience through paintings, photography, sculpture, fashion, and film, with a chronological flow that takes us from the art created by the Windrush generation to contemporary and brand new artworks; from the early, colourful Caribbean Artist Movement’s modernist work inspired by a landscape left behind to the rise of Black Power in response to increasing racism from the National Front – And the institutionalised racism within the police force.
Of course, quite a lot of the exhibits have been seen before but that does not diminish their powerful message. In fact, it reinforces what the black population has been saying for decades, and the more we see these images the more they will resonate and instigate change.
Stark black and white photographs show riots and demonstrations of recent times but the paintings are more subtle. Lubaina Himid, who currently has a retrospective exhibition at Tate Modern, exhibits her Toussaint L’Ouverture collage; the leader of the Haitian revolution that gained freedom from slavery but who has been marginalised from history. Among the collage materials are fragments of newspaper articles on the negative experiences of black people.
I was accompanied by actor and writer, Frank Prosper, who had become quite emotional in Michael McMillan’s immersive Front Room installation. He recalls his school education as being told he came from ‘living in mud huts in Africa, and slavery… But now I’m finding out we have a rich history of artists – Proper stand-up people – who have done their bit for this country’s history.’
Another progressive note is that Tate has acquired seven of the artworks in the exhibition. These additions to Tate’s collection, while acknowledging that neither Henry Tate nor his partner Abram Lyle were ever slave owners, will help people come to terms with how Tate’s fortunes were built on the foundations of slavery.
Life Between Islands is the real history of Britain and the Caribbean whether you like it or not. And, thankfully, this is the history that children are now being taught in schools. When they learn about the reign of Queen Elizabeth I they will also learn that she got rich from trading humans.
Tate Britain, Millbank, SW1P 4RG until April 3rd. Times: Daily 10am – 6pm.
Main photo: M. Holland