‘Artists should let the cat out of the bag’: Lubaina Himid to represent Britain at 2026 Venice Biennale

‘The British Council weren’t ready for me’ … Lubaina Himid. Photograph: Adama Jalloh

Lubaina Himid, the artist known for her large stage-set-style installations that draw attention to figures overlooked by history, has been picked by the British Council to represent the UK at the 2026 Venice Biennale.

“I’m energised and so up for it,” the artist said of the challenge to fill the British pavilion with her work at “the Olympics of art”. She added: “I was ready to do it when I was 30 – it’s just that the British Council weren’t ready for me.”