Charmaine Watkiss

She creates narratives primarily through research connected to the African Caribbean diaspora, which is then mapped onto female figures. She draws herself as a conduit to relay stories which speak about a collective experience; starting with an idea, then allowing intuition and a dialogue with the work to take over. Her practice addresses themes including, ritual, tradition, ancestry, mythology and cosmology. Since her first gallery solo show The Seed Keepers in 2021 with Tiwani Contemporary; Charmaine has been investigating the herbal healing traditions of Caribbean women, especially those of her mother’s generation, and connecting those traditions through colonisation back to their roots in Africa. Her recent 6 week residency in Charente south west France at Launchpad LAB; enabled her to explore nature and ecology in a more focussed way and to combine drawing with making sculptural forms.

Her recent exhibitions include: The Wisdom Tree, her first institutional solo show at Leeds Art Gallery; Drawing attention: emerging British artists group show at the British Museum; and Breakfast Under the Tree, curated by Russell Tovey, a group show at Carl Freedman Gallery. Her work is held in private and public collections including: The British Museum, London UK; The Government Art Collection, London UK; Cartwright Hall Museum, Bradford UK; Abbott Hall Museum, Kendall UK and Nasher Museum at Duke University, Durham NC USA.