London

I went to London to see about a man…well almost. My trip to London blossomed out of a desire to see art. Kerry James Marshall had a show at the Royal Academy in London and I couldn’t bare to miss it. He’s one of my favorite artists. I’ve seen a couple of his pieces up close, but nothing compared to the sheer breadth at the Academy. Every piece was stunning. The collection spanned over 50 years. The oldest piece was created in the 60s, while the most contemporary was 2025. It was great to compare the older workers to the contemporary ones. In the contemporary pieces, it was clear he has become a master of his craft. The blending of colors were seamless. There was so much depth to the shades of black within each piece. Blackness has always been political and Marshall explored all of this from Transatlantic slavery to the beauty salon. He questions and challenges race.

There was a pieces titled, White Queens of Africa, which depicted the First Lady’s of Senegal and Botswana. Although both countries earned their independence from colonization, I do think it’s rather interesting the First Ladies would be white women. What does that say about us and the legacy of white supremacy and colonization? In juxtaposition, there was a piece titled, Haul, which depicted a Black woman returning from trade. Her hand is high up to block the African sun, and she’s laying on received goods. Rum, guns, tea, cowrie shells, and a plethora of things traded with Europeans. The names The Histories, was an appropriate title for the collection of works. Not only are viewers experiencing a history of collections of art, but we are also witnessing Marshall’s deep fascination with history itself. There are pieces, which depict Harriet Tubman, as well as Nat Turner.

We see rebellion as much as joy. The complexity of Blackness is given the space to develop. I left in spired, in awe, and genuinely proud of the legacy of Black artists. I think it’s incredible we have artists like Kerry James Marshall, who continues to share their art with us and inspire us.

The rest of my trip was incredible. I went to the Tate Museum of Modern Art to see Nigerian Modernism, and the beautiful work of Emily Kame Kngwarray. I genuinely love learning, and it was a pleasure to be exposed to so many artists. I was largely ignorant of a lot of Black artist, especially those in ceramics. I learned about Ladi Kweli, who is a Nigerian ceramicist. Her pieces are hand-made, and she uses a coiling method. Her pots are large, but they offer so much detail. It’s labor intensive and it clearly shows.

I enjoyed my trip to London so much, and will be visiting again soon. There’s so much to write about. I haven’t even gotten to the fashion, and the food yet. Stay tuned!