Nahem Shoa, a classically trained artist from London, has shared his experience of facing racism within the art world, which hindered his ability to find galleries willing to display his portraits of Black people.
Despite these challenges, Shoa noted a positive shift in recent years, with museums becoming more open to representing images of non-white subjects.
Shoa’s latest exhibition, focusing on race and identity, will open at Ferens Art Gallery in Hull on Friday, 18 October.
The artist described it as a “dream come true” to have his work displayed alongside renowned artists like Rembrandt and Lucian Freud.
This exhibition, Seen and Unseen, is part of Hull City Council’s Black History Month celebrations and will also feature works by Shoa’s childhood friend and fellow artist, Desmond Haughton.
Shoa, who began his artistic journey as a graffiti artist before training as a painter, won the Royal Society of Portrait Painters award in 1992.
His work was featured in the National Portrait Gallery’s BP Portrait Awards the following year.
However, despite his early success, Shoa faced significant difficulties when trying to display his portraits of Black subjects in galleries. Many museums, he said, did not even respond to his inquiries.
“It was a project about race, but the project itself received a lot of racism, so it was barely shown, up until recently,” Shoa explained.
The turning point, he said, came after the death of George Floyd in 2020, which sparked worldwide protests as part of the Black Lives Matter movement.
Since then, museums have become more receptive to his work, recognizing the importance of showcasing diverse perspectives and images.
Shoa, alongside Haughton, aims to create powerful depictions of people of color that rival the intensity and prominence of Lucian Freud’s portraits of white subjects.
“Why is the Black image so rare still in art galleries?” Shoa questioned, noting the ongoing need for greater representation.
Despite the barriers he has faced, Shoa acknowledges that the art world is evolving, with more artists from ethnic minority backgrounds gaining recognition.
“Now there are some very famous artists of color at the top of the art world, and it needed to change,” he said.
The Seen and Unseen exhibition highlights the importance of representation in the arts, offering a platform for powerful images of people of color and contributing to the broader celebration of Black heritage during Black History Month.
Also read: Sally Doherty Finds Creative Way To Attend Events With ‘Chopstick Sally’
