Contemporary British Artists of African Descent and the Unburdening of a Generation

Book excerpt: This book explores the notable roles that contemporary British artists of African descent have played in the multicultural context of postwar Britain. In four key case studies— Magdalene Odundo, Veronica Ryan, Mary Evans, and Maria Amidu—Monique Kerman charts their impact through analysis of works, activities, and exhibitions. The author elucidates each of the artists’ creative response to their unique experience and examines how their work engages with issues of history, identity, diaspora, and the distillation of diverse cultural sources. The study also includes a comparative discussion of art broadly defined as “black British,” in order to question assumptions concerning racial and ethnic identities that the artists often negotiate through their works—particularly the expectation or “burden” of representing minority or marginalized communities. Readers are thus challenged to unburden the artists herein and celebrate their work on its own terms.