Benjamin Zephaniah 2

The latest addition to my Windrush quilt series, is a piece called “The background’s too strong, it needs to be whiter,” and it features the dynamic figure of Benjamin Zephaniah, captured in a moment of dance on stage.

This quilt, the second I’ve created featuring Benjamin, stems from a piece of cloth printed with images of Birmingham from an old sketchbook of mine. When I first saw the cloth, I felt the background was too overpowering, so I used white paint to tone it down and bring balance to the piece. This act of altering the background inspired the quilt’s title. The text is still very readable but to maintain the balance, it also has a slight covering of white paint.

Benjamin Zephaniah, a renowned poet, writer, and musician, is an emblematic figure whose work and presence resonate deeply with the themes of the Windrush generation; his mother coming to Birmingham from Jamaica in 1957. I’ve tried to capture his vibrant energy and commitment to social justice in this piece, hopefully reflecting the strength and resilience of the Windrush community.

Both of my Benjamin Zephaniah quilts will be exhibited at the Leamington Art Gallery from January to May 2025 as part of my Windrush series, and the wider exhibition of textiles: “Unravelling History – Unpicking The Archives and Reworking Textile Traditions”. This exhibition is not only an opportunity to celebrate and reflect on the rich cultural heritage and enduring legacy of the Windrush generation, but to see work by other artists inspired by the Art Gallery and Museum’s collections.

Printed cloth using sketches of Birmingham, acrylic paint for figure and background text, heavy free machining