Abstract
In the final room of Tate Britain's Artist and Empire exhibition there hangs a startlingly beautiful work of art by Sonia Boyce. The painting, Lay back, keep quiet and think of what made Britain so great, is a meditation on identity. The background shows wallpaper used to commemorate the 50th year of Queen Victoria's reign, but it is interweaved with luscious black roses complete with sharp thorns. In each of the first three panels sits a large Christian cross, inside of which are scenes from Australia, South Africa, and India. In the corners are the words, “Mission”, “Missionary”, and “Missionary Position”. In the final panel is a self-portrait of the artist, looking defiantly at us. Boyce was born in London to parents from Barbados and Guyana. In this painting, she reflects on Englishness, the role of religion in the imperial conquests, sexual violence, and the contingent nature of identity. The work is also an act of resistance; in one corner is the word “Changing”.
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