London’s ICA Reimagines a Landmark Moment in Art History with Sonia Boyce, Claudette Johnson, and Lubaina Himid at the Helm
In a long-overdue act of recognition and reclamation, the Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA) in London is breathing new life into one of Britain’s most culturally significant — yet historically overlooked — art movements: the “Thin Black Line.” First staged in 1985 by the formidable Lubaina Himid, the original exhibition spotlighted Black British women artists whose powerful work had long been relegated to the margins of the UK’s art establishment.
Now, nearly four decades later, the ICA is revisiting this pivotal moment, not as an act of nostalgia, but as a timely cultural reckoning — one that asserts the unshakable relevance of Black British art and its vital place in the national imagination.
More Than a Revisit — A Restoration
Originally shown at the Institute of Contemporary Arts in 1985, the “Thin Black Line” was a radical and necessary intervention into a deeply exclusionary art world. Curated by Lubaina Himid, now a Turner Prize winner and celebrated force in British art, the show featured a group of young Black women artists pushing boundaries of identity, politics, and representation.
Back then, it was revolutionary. Today, it feels urgent.
This new iteration — “Thin Black Line Revisited” — includes the work of original exhibitors such as Sonia Boyce, Claudette Johnson, Chila Kumari Burman, Everlyn Nicodemus, and Maud Sulter. These are names that, for too long, remained absent from textbooks and gallery walls. The ICA’s revival reasserts their rightful place in the cultural canon and invites a new generation to engage with their legacies.
Why It Still Matters — Perhaps More Than Ever
The themes running through these works — colonialism, gender, diaspora, identity, silence, resistance — are as searingly relevant in 2025 as they were in 1985. And yet, these artists did not wait for the world to give them permission to speak. Their work carved out space in an industry that often refused them visibility.
Today’s re-exhibition acts not only as a platform for their voices, but also as a mirror for how far Britain’s art institutions have (and haven’t) come. It places Black female creativity at the center — not as a sidebar to “diversity,” but as foundational to the British cultural story.
Spotlight on the Visionaries
- Lubaina Himid – As the curator and one of the original artists, Himid’s leadership then and now continues to be revolutionary. Her work reclaims colonial histories and breathes life into forgotten Black narratives. The ICA exhibition features her early installations and recent sculptural interventions.
- Sonia Boyce – Known for her vibrant multimedia work exploring Black British identity, Boyce made headlines in 2022 as the first Black woman to represent the UK at the Venice Biennale. Here, her earlier works offer a raw, introspective look into the politics of self-representation.
- Claudette Johnson – A painter whose work focuses on Black bodies with both tenderness and power. Her larger-than-life portraits of Black women challenge stereotypes and offer a counter-narrative to Eurocentric ideals of beauty and form.
The Revival Is Also a Roadmap
What makes this exhibition at the ICA more than a retrospective is its forward-facing intention. Accompanying the artwork are panel discussions, workshops, and a digital archive that links past movements with today’s emerging Black creatives — bridging generations in conversation.
For young Black British artists looking to locate themselves within the art world today, “Thin Black Line Revisited” offers more than inspiration — it offers a blueprint. A reminder that resistance has a lineage, and that their presence is not an anomaly but part of a continuum.
