Cat Dunn

Spaces of African-Caribbean Diaspora: Identity, otherness and belonging in contemporary art of Black women artists working in Britain.

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The research investigates two artists representing the two critical timelines 1980- 82 and 2020-22. These artists are Sonia Boyce (Caribbean) (b.1962), who started self-curating in the 1980s and Alberta Whittle (Barbados) (b.1980) in 2022. These two black women artists created a historic moment in time. While they have been other black women artists showing at The Venice Biennale throughout the years, Sonia Boyce is the first African-Caribbean black British woman to be showing artwork at and representing the British Pavilion. Alberta Whittle is representing the Scotland-Venice Partnership. They are a generation apart with a twenty-something year age gap, they all research the social, cultural, and political connectedness of identity, otherness, and belonging which is shown within their artwork irrespective of genre. Other artists feed into these timelines and exhibitions: Sekai Machache (Zimbabwe) (1989), Ashanti Harris (Guyana/ Barbados) (1989), Lubaina Himid (Zanzibar) (1954), Simone Leigh (Jamaica) (b.1967) and Maud Sulter (Ghana) (1960). They are a generation apart with a twenty-something year age gap, they all research the social, cultural, and political connectedness of identity, otherness, and belonging which is shown within their artwork irrespective of genre. They, too, have been chosen due to their African Caribbean Diaspora subject area. Is there a difference in how the earlier artists (first generation) worked compared to the younger artists? (Second generation). The older generation is only now being recognised for their artistic contributions. Why has this taken so long for systematic change and where are the second generation versus the first generation in regard to this period of their careers? The intended outcome of this practice-informed research is to provide an enhanced understanding of black women artists exhibitions and why are they needed. To check if there has been systemic change and why has this taken so long, in doing so, it aims to contribute meaningfully to the growing historiography of black women’s art through the gaze of dual identity, and to an understanding of the expanding role of social justice exhibitions.

Names of Supervisors: 

  • 1st Supervisor Graham Fagen
  • Joint 2nd Supervisors – Dr Judit Bodor /Dr Shaleph O’Neil