BLK Art Group

The BLK Art Group was the name chosen in 1982 by a group of five influential conceptual artists, painters, sculptors and installation artists based in England. Keith Piper, Marlene Smith,[1] Eddie Chambers[2] and Donald Rodney were initially based in the Midlands.

The group were all from the British African-Caribbean community and exhibited in a number of group exhibitions in both small and prestigious galleries throughout the country. Their work was noted for its boldly political stance, producing dynamic conceptual art that offered a series of inventive critiques on the state of inter-communal, class and gender relations in the UK.[3] They were themselves influenced by a variety of artistic currents including ideas associated with the USA's Black Arts Movement. Donald Rodney, who suffered from sickle cell anaemia (anemia), died aged 36 in 1998.

  1. ^ and Claudette Johnson. Marlene Smith recounts founding of BLK Art Group on Tate Britain website. Updated 30 July 2014.
  2. ^ Eddie Chambers Biography by Richard Hylton. "As a facilitator and mentor to many in the visual arts, the importance of his contribution cannot be overstated". Retrieved 22 December 2006.
  3. ^ Shades of Black: Assembling Black Arts in 1980s Britain. Duke University Press. 2005. ISBN 978-0822334200. Retrieved 29 August 2009.