The BLK art group, formed in Wolverhampton, England, in 1979, was an association of young black artists who empowered black and emerging artists to be more socially conscious with their art through exhibitions across the United Kingdom titled The Pan-Afrikan Connection. The group’s work focused on the lack of inclusivity in the Art world, race, gender, and reflected the political environment, such as the discrimination against black communities and the anti-immigration agenda being pushed forward by the Conservative government. The BLK group was also known for its diversity of art, from sculpture, paintings, to presentations and stories.
Members of the BLK art group included Donald Gladstone Rodney, who has been described as “one of the most innovative and versatile artists of his generation”. Other artists affiliated with the group include Eddie Chambers, Dominic Dawes, Claudette Johnson, Andrew Hazel, Marlene Smith, Janet Vernon, Keith Piper, Wenda Leslie and Ian Palmer. All members of the group were children of Caribbean migrants of the Windrush generation, with their experiences being reflected in their work.
Their first exhibition, Black Art An’ Done, in June 1981, came after the New Cross Massacre in June 1981, which took the lives of 14 young black people and as a result of the lack of police action and their Operation Swamp ‘stop-and-search’ policies the ‘Black People’s Day of Action’ protest and in south London came about and reshaped how race was discussed in public and political spheres. Thus, their exhibition Black Art An’ Done was centred around racial prejudice and took place at Wolverhampton Art Gallery. The BLK art group went on to do many exhibitions between the years 1981 to 1984. However, in his reflection of the BLK art Group, Keith Piper, whose famous works include Trade Winds (1992) and Go West Young Man (1987), stated that “it was the First National Black Art Convention, held at Wolverhampton Polytechnic in October 1982, that was the BLK Art Group’s most significant legacy”. It was at this convention that the influential British Black Artist Movement was founded, to highlight race, gender and politics in their work.
Eddie Chamber, who created the prominent art work Destruction of the national front(1979), stated in 1981, that “The work of the black artist should be seen as having specific positive functions: a tool to assist us in our struggle for our liberation, both at home and abroad, as opposed to simply reflecting the moral bankruptcy of modern times.” His message closely aligns with the mission of artists within the BLK art group.
The BLK group also promoted black feminist art, with members such as Claudette Johnson, titled ‘Images of Black Women in Art’, with her large figurative drawings of Black women, highlighting the underrepresentation of black women in art history and used her paintings to “explore lack womanhood, representation and portraiture”
The BLK art group remains highly influential and continues to inspire and empower artists such as Chris Ofili and Steve McQueen, both recipients of the Turner Prize. as they challenged the art world and opened the door to conversations surrounding racism, lack of inclusion and underrepresentation and poured it into their art.
