Venice Biennale special: Lubaina Himid
From The Great Women Artists by Katy Hessel
May 5, 2026 · 42 min
About this episode
Katy Hessel interviews Lubaina Himid about her upcoming exhibition at the Venice Biennale 2026.
TODAY on the GWA Podcast: a very special bonus episode with Lubaina Himid, on her British Council Commission for the British Pavilion at Venice Biennale 2026, "Presenting History: Testing Translation". Returning to the podcast for the second time, Lubaina Himid is an acclaimed Lancashire-based artist working in paintings, sculpture, installations, archives, and more, whose career spans from the 1980s – when she was established as one of the leaders and trailblazers of Britain's Black Arts movement – to the 2020s, where she uses her art and her training in theatre to create all-encompassing works that tackle silenced histories. While you can go to episode 33 to hear a deep dive into Himid's life and work, today we are focusing on her pavilion for Great Britain at the 61st Venice Biennale! An event that happens every two years, thought of as the most important space to showcase art and artists, the Venice Biennale revolves around a central exhibition, this year curated by the late Koyo Kouoh, titled "In Minor Keys", and is often a signifier to define not just what is happening in the world, but how we can understand it through art. The rest of the Biennale is made up of pavilions –…
People in this episode
Host: Katy Hessel
Guest: Lubaina Himid
Topics covered
- Venice Biennale
- Lubaina Himid
- British Pavilion
- art history
- Black Arts movement
- exhibition
Keywords
- Lubaina Himid
- Venice Biennale
- British Pavilion
- art
- Black Arts movement
- exhibition
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: British Council
Books & works: Presenting History: Testing Translation, In Minor Keys, Golden Lion
More episodes of The Great Women Artists
- Joan Snyder · June 3, 2026 · 44 min
- Briony Fer on Sophie Taeuber-Arp · April 29, 2026 · 45 min
- Deborah Levy on Gertrude Stein · April 22, 2026 · 38 min
- Alyce Mahon on Dorothea Tanning · April 14, 2026 · 50 min
- Sonnet Stanfill on Elsa Schiaparelli · April 7, 2026 · 48 min
- Diane Apostolos-Cappadona on Mary Magdalene · April 2, 2026 · 54 min
Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the The Great Women Artists podcast page.