Home comforts are not always comfortable. At the Venice Biennale, Lubaina Himid presents an awkward, tense, and uncomfortable portrait of Britain. Her installation at the British Pavilion features monumental paintings and a wall of painted oars, populated by tailors, cooks, and architects—the people who shape the nation, keeping it fed, clothed, and sheltered.
An audio piece fills the space with bucolic sounds: seagulls, rigging slapping on masts, bird calls, and buzzing flies. It evokes a lovely, welcoming, and accepting Great Britain. But the black figures at the heart of each painting do not appear to feel particularly welcomed or accepted. They exchange sideways glances as they cook and sew, pausing in moments of shared discomfort.
The tailors, dressed in clothes they have made to fit in, are frozen in a shared look that asks: "What the hell are we doing here?" The architects, standing next to plans for a mosque, a church, and a factory, do the same. So do the gardeners and the sailors. Himid repeatedly questions whether one can ever truly belong, whether a place can ever be home if one's roots lie elsewhere.
The exhibition is anchored by 26 questions pasted on the wall, such as "Can flies settle here?" and "Can poison taste delicious?" These musings lay bare the existential angst of the show—the feeling that if you are different, you will never truly feel part of anything. However, the basis of this idea seems to suggest that the feeling of not belonging is exclusive to people from elsewhere. But belonging is more complicated than the exhibition suggests.
The show specifically addresses migration and the emotional status of people who move to Britain. Yet belonging involves gender, sexuality, class, social discomfort, and societal unease. Millions in Britain feel they do not belong, regardless of origin. Visually, this is not Himid's best work; she has executed this idea more successfully in the past. Additionally, a painting show by a leading artist may not be the most exciting use of the pavilion space.
What does work is the sense of anxiety coursing through the installation—the abject discomfort and frustration at a world that will never fully accept you. Despite the bright colors and calming sounds, Himid sees a darker truth: Britain may be green and pleasant, but for many, it will never feel like home.
