‘Barbara Walker's show at the Whitworth makes me feel proud to be Black British’ – Chibundu Onuzo
My best friend calls me a contrarian. Of course, I disagree. Nevertheless, once in a while, the mood to swim against the current strikes me. This mood came upon me recently, in the run up to what is commonly called ‘art week.’
London was all the art press could write about and frankly, I was tired of it. Surely, there must be excellent art on view outside London, during ‘art week.’ A quick search revealed that the Whitworth in Manchester was holding the first major survey exhibition of Barbara Walker’s work. Bingo.
I must confess that when I booked my train ticket, I felt rather virtuous. I was ascetically turning my back on the revels of Frieze and 1:54, in order to pursue a more egalitarian, less London-focused art world.
Image: Barbara Walker, The Sitter, 2002
© Barbara Walker
All Rights Reserved, DACS/Artimage. 2024; photograph: Gary Kirkham
