Entangled Pasts, 1768-Now

Colonialism and its centuries-long impact on visual culture, from Joshua Reynolds to John AkomfrahInformed by ongoing research, this handsome publication features the work of artists connected with the Royal Academy in an exploration of migration, exchange, artistic traditions, identity and belonging. Contemporary and historical works are brought together as part of a conversation about art and its role in shaping narratives of empire, enslavement, abolition and colonialism, and how it may help set a course for the future. The life-size painted cut-out figures of Lubaina Himid's installation Naming the Money; Hew Locke's Armada, a flotilla of "votive boats" recalling different periods and places; paintings, photographs, sculptures, drawings and prints by Sonia Boyce, Frank Bowling, John Akomfrah, Isaac Julien, El Anatsui, Kerry James Marshall, Kara Walker, Shahzia Sikander, Mohini Chandra and Betye Saar; and historical works by artists such as Joshua Reynolds, J.M.W. Turner and John Singleton Copley create connections across time that examine questions of power, representation and history.