Victoria Miro is delighted to present Send in the Clowns, an exhibition of new paintings by Khalif Tahir Thompson. This is the gallery’s first solo presentation of Thompson’s work since announcing representation of the artist.

Born and based in Brooklyn, Khalif Tahir Thompson invites viewers into the everyday lives of his subjects through vibrant domestic scenes, full of texture and pattern that create an expansive form of portraiture, both individual and collective, weaving through time.

Send in the Clowns takes its title from the 1973 theatrical ballad written by Stephen Sondheim and famously sung by Jazz vocalist Sarah Vaughn. ‘The phrase “send in the clowns” is a metaphor for bringing in comedic relief or distractions when a plan fails or a situation turns chaotic,’ says Thompson. ‘For me, it resonates deeply: it reflects the layered facets of my life and experiences, the ways we deploy humour to mask vulnerability, and it speaks to how I respond to tragedy.’

‘Send in the Clowns is a love letter to my younger self, my journey as an artist, and Brooklyn. It encompasses what I value in painting and how it allowed me to reflect on important experiences and honour the people I hold so dear.’ 

– Khalif Tahir Thompson

 

The exhibition is accompanied by new writing on the artist by Jessica Lynne; excerpts are featured below.

  • Installation view, Khalif Tahir Thompson: Send in the Clowns, Victoria Miro, London, 2026
    Installation view, Khalif Tahir Thompson: Send in the Clowns, Victoria Miro, London, 2026
    Installation view, Khalif Tahir Thompson: Send in the Clowns, Victoria Miro, London, 2026
    Installation view, Khalif Tahir Thompson: Send in the Clowns, Victoria Miro, London, 2026

    Installation view, Khalif Tahir Thompson: Send in the Clowns, Victoria Miro, London, 2026

  • ‘Thompson’s latest body of work is highly specific in its directional gaze as it conjures a Brooklyn – where the artist was born, raised, and still lives – that belongs to his loved ones and kin, a Brooklyn whose landscape changes almost daily it seems.’

    - Jessica Lynne

  • Khalif Tahir Thompson, Lambent, 2026
    Khalif Tahir Thompson, Lambent, 2026
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    ‘In Lambent, the exterior façade of a braiding salon is covered in detailed renderings of hairstyles. The door, windows, and sidewalk display all feature the faces of models turned at varying angles to accentuate the diversity of styles such a salon and its stylists can offer. Even the few loitering pigeons seem compelled to linger awhile.’

  • Khalif Tahir Thompson, Playground, 2026
    Khalif Tahir Thompson, Playground, 2026
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    ‘In the foreground of Playground a young man wearing a backpack pushes a baby in a stroller past a bright, multicoloured playground; apartment blocks are visible in the background. This could be an older brother or cousin, or a young father on childcare duty for an afternoon.’

  • Khalif Tahir Thompson, Arch Diner, 2026

    Khalif Tahir Thompson, Arch Diner, 2026
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  • ‘Arch Diner, a nostalgic rendering of the beloved though now closed eatery that was once located in the Canarsie neighbourhood of Brooklyn, is almost haunting in its nature. A lone figure approaches the diner’s entryway at night, not a star in the sky. City traffic continues to move without disruption.’

  • ‘I could have sworn that the paintings in progress were from my own memories… of a trek home in the rain after a day that threatened to never end.’

  • Khalif Tahir Thompson, The Rain, 2026

    Khalif Tahir Thompson, The Rain, 2026
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  • Khalif Tahir Thompson, Two Brothers, 2026
    Khalif Tahir Thompson, Two Brothers, 2026
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    ‘Thompson’s rendering is tender, ascribing an air of nobility to the young men that cannot always be assumed to be bestowed by others.’

  • Khalif Tahir Thompson, Pearl, 2026
    Khalif Tahir Thompson, Pearl, 2026
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    ‘He plays with time, contorting generational lines. For example, the dressing table behind the woman in white is modelled after a similar piece of furniture owned by the artist’s grandmother, while the woman herself is a beautiful rendering of the artist’s elder sister. The wig-display mannequin belongs to no one in particular, but at the same time to many of us Black women all at once.’

  • Khalif Tahir Thompson, Mural Scene, 2026

    Khalif Tahir Thompson, Mural Scene, 2026
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  • ‘…the built environment is as much a protagonist in the stories these paintings tell as the people who populate them.’

    • Khalif Tahir Thompson, Glenwood Houses, 2026
      Khalif Tahir Thompson, Glenwood Houses, 2026
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    • Khalif Tahir Thompson, Shawn, 2026
      Khalif Tahir Thompson, Shawn, 2026
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  • Khalif Tahir Thompson

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