'I certainly opened up a conversation': Lubaina Himid on her Guardian residency

The 2017 Turner prize-winning artist Lubaina Himid is the first Guardian artist in residence. After spending four days in the Guardian's London office she created a work entitled Random Coincidence, which included the artist painting over pages from the paper over a week-long period. Himid's focus was the paper's representation of black people and the juxtaposition of text and image.
This project was initiated in collaboration with Liverpool’s Rapid Response Unit as part of a larger commission linking artists to the news cycle.

[@MajorVanBloodnok]

You can't make this stuff up.. Guardian invites artist, accusing paper of racist juxstapositions, on an inspection leading to cultural re-education classes. Cue terribly earnest hand wringing from ashamed middle class journos straight out of central casting. Said artist lays it out on the floor including, to gasps, a black man with a big smile, to which she's added dozens of watermelons on the page. Occasional shots of incredulity from someone convinced it's a joke, but not sure how to react. Nobody dissents when everyone nods in agreement - perhaps terrified of being thought racist.. Actually a very good video in that it's so revealing of what the hell is going on with the Guardian of establishment politics. The more we reach a relatively progressive society, socially, the more consciousness there is to challenge neoliberal capitalism which is driving us off a cliff. But in order to carry on driving along the edge, establishment mouthpieces have us convinced racism is everywhere - sucking up all the energy and attention that would otherwise be challenging an elite that blames austerity on the disabled, on immigrants, on dole scroungers. Guardian simply must let everyone know how open it is to criticism and it’s willingness to change. Fling the doors open to every artist (who’s just won the Turner prize) to guilt us with our white privilege. Every artist (that’s a massive fan of the paper) can shame us with our unconscious racism, so we can repent in front of you, so that you know how to behave. Nevermind that the artist is clearly the one with the unconscious racism, seeing it everywhere, or injecting it into her own work, we will take her seriously as we value openness, transparency and journalistic integrity.. Wait. What was that? We regularly print pictures of Jeremy Corbyn (taken from video in order to find the most unflattering image) to suit whatever narrative we have to discredit him? Nothing to see there - no we’ve gotta be careful not place anything negative near a picture of a black person.

[@hanzkoontz7175]

Himid is qualified in theatre design, racial appeasement has awarded her a position of professor of contemporary art, a professor of contemporary art that can’t create art - a collective body of work an art foundation student couldn't get away with, it is conceivable this is why Himid has difficulties understanding anything beyond theatre and cardboard cutouts, her work consists of superficial aesthetics and contextual nonsense, describing anything she doesn't understand as “emotionless conceptual conceits” and stating “The process of creation is always the act of struggling with something that isn’t working” this is rhetoric commonly used as a defence mechanism for incompetence. Members of The British Black Art Movement hold positions as educators/peers for black other minority art students it should be no surprise that there has been zero progress in black and minority art, the art establishment endorsing stupid is a way of censorship a comprehensive form of institutional tokenism and a barrier for anyone that wants to participate.

[@smartiepancake]

"I am not accusing the Guardian of being racist ... I am saying ..." Here we go, get the popcorn.

[@hanzkoontz7175]

Himid is qualified in theatre design, racial appeasement has awarded her a position of professor of contemporary art, a professor of contemporary art that can’t create art - a collective body of work an art foundation student couldn't get away with, it is conceivable this is why Himid has difficulties understanding anything beyond theatre and cardboard cutouts, her work consists of superficial aesthetics and contextual nonsense, describing anything she doesn't understand as “emotionless conceptual conceits” and stating “The process of creation is always the act of struggling with something that isn’t working” this is rhetoric commonly used as a defence mechanism for incompetence. Members of The British Black Art Movement hold positions as educators/peers for black other minority art students it should be no surprise that there has been zero progress in black and minority art, the art establishment endorsing stupid is a way of censorship a comprehensive form of institutional tokenism and a barrier for anyone that wants to participate.

[@beetlegin]

Is this stupid reality or brilliant satire - you decide.

[@hanzkoontz7175]

Himid is qualified in theatre design, racial appeasement has awarded her a position of professor of contemporary art, a professor of contemporary art that can’t create art - a collective body of work an art foundation student couldn't get away with, it is conceivable this is why Himid has difficulties understanding anything beyond theatre and cardboard cutouts, her work consists of superficial aesthetics and contextual nonsense, describing anything she doesn't understand as “emotionless conceptual conceits” and stating “The process of creation is always the act of struggling with something that isn’t working” this is rhetoric commonly used as a defence mechanism for incompetence. Members of The British Black Art Movement hold positions as educators/peers for black other minority art students it should be no surprise that there has been zero progress in black and minority art, the art establishment endorsing stupid is a way of censorship a comprehensive form of institutional tokenism and a barrier for anyone that wants to participate.