Barbara Walker Being Here
4 October 2024 – 26 January 2025
The first major survey exhibition by British artist Barbara Walker (b.1964, Birmingham, UK), charts her compelling figurative practice from 1990s to today.
Being Here presents over 70 extraordinary artworks, including rarely seen paintings, her Turner Prize nominated drawing series Burden of Proof (2022-23), and a newly commissioned printed wallpaper Soft Power (2024).
For over twenty-five years, Walker has been making intensely observed and empathetic figurative work that creates space for Black presence, power and belonging. Ranging from delicate graphite drawings on archival documents to a monumental charcoal wall drawing, Walker tackles wide-ranging themes such as the policing and surveillance of Black life, twentieth-century war histories, immigration and Old Master paintings to challenge conventions of representation and the histories they are rooted in.
The exhibition includes works from across the six major series Walker has made to date; Private Face (1998-2005), Louder Than Words (2006-09), Show and Tell (2008-15), Shock and Awe (2015-20), Vanishing Point (2018-ongoing) and Burden of Proof (2022-23), alongside a new wallpaper, inspired by the Whitworth’s collection, that continues her representation of the Windrush generation.
The exhibition is accompanied by an illustrated catalogue featuring new essays on Walker’s practice by Mora J. Beauchamp-Byrd, Eddie Chambers, Alice Correia, Leanne Green, Rianna Jade Parker and the exhibition curators Poppy Bowers and Hannah Vollam.
New event in 2025!
Purple Collective and the Whitworth present: ‘Recentring’
On Saturday 25 January, 1pm-4.30pm, free, please book
Join us for an afternoon of discussion and live performance marking the final weekend of Barbara Walker: Being Here. In two panel discussions, leading academics and professionals explore Walker’s approach to Black British representation, as well as wider issues around race, accessibility, and inclusion in the arts.
Find out more and book your place.
Exhibition project:
Barbara Walker Engagement Project – Call Out for Artists and ParticipantsDiscover more about this intergenerational public engagement programme runs alongside the exhibition, drawing inspiration from Barbara Walker’s two series of work, ‘Burden of Proof’ and ‘Louder than Words’.
Find out how to get involved
The exhibition catalogue is generously supported by Cristea Roberts Gallery, London
The exhibition is organised by the Whitworth and will tour to Arnolfini, Bristol 8 March 2025 – 25 May 2025
Further information:
- Opening times: Wednesday to Sunday, 10.00 am-5.00 pm; open until 9.00 pm on Thursdays
- Location: The University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester, M15 6ER
- Getting there: By foot: 20-30 minures from Manchester city centre; By Bike: Sheffield stands and lockers (£1 coin, refundable) both available at the gallery; By Bus: 15, 41, 42, 43, 140 – 143, 147 – ask for bus stop nearest MRI, Oxford Road; By Metrolink: St Peter’s Square (plus 10 minutes on the bus or 20 minutes on foot); Train: Oxford Road (plus 10 minutes on the bus or 20 minutes on foot); By Car: On-street parking (maximum stay, 2 hours) on Denmark Road. Nearest car park Cecil Street
- Admission is free
