This new film offers a glimpse into the studio of British artist Claudette Johnson, a founding member of the Black British Arts Movement and one of the most significant figurative artists of her generation. It shows her at work and reflecting on her practice.
For over 30 years, Johnson has created large-scale drawings of Black women and men that are at once intimate and powerful. Her distinctive drawings seek, as the artist puts it, “to tell a different story about our presence in this country”.
The film was made during Johnson’s major exhibition at The Courtauld. It considers how Johnson has represented her subjects over three decades, and how her practice also responds to the art of the past with The Courtauld’s collection providing a rich context in which to see her work.
Claudette Johnson: Presence
29 Sep 2023 – 14 Jan 2024
The Courtauld Gallery
Book Now: courtauld.ac.uk/claudette-johnson
This exhibition is supported by The Garcia Family Foundation, with additional support from Lubaina Himid, Jerwood Foundation and Tavolozza Foundation
Produced by Fergus Carmichael, 2023.
Music selected by Claudette Johnson
Ethiopian Serenade – Count Ossie and the Mystic Revelation of Rastafari
Jackie Mittoo – Oboe