It is November 1985 and in a corridor of London’s ICA, a pivotal moment in British art history is about to take place. Curated by Lubaina Himid, The Thin Black Line displays work by 11 Black and Asian women artists, hung on the walls of the museum’s narrow walkway – to signify just how they’ve been marginalised. Their work – which explores social, cultural, political, feminist and aesthetic issues – comes as a shock to the stuffy art establishment.
Critics dismiss it, or deride the works as “angry”. And yet this show, placing Black women artists firmly at the centre of contemporary British art history, will come to be seen as a turning point, paving the way for future winners of the Turner prize (Himid and Veronica Ryan) and Venice Golden Lion (Sonia Boyce).
