Wangechi Mutu has been named the second recipient of the National Gallery Contemporary Fellowship, an initiative awarded by the National Gallery with support from Art Fund and delivered in collaboration with Whitworth, The University of Manchester.
The Kenyan-American artist, celebrated for her work across painting, sculpture, film and performance, splits her time between studios in Nairobi and Brooklyn, New York, where she has been based for the past few decades. Throughout her practice, Mutu examines and reshapes narratives surrounding womanhood, often confronting the misogynistic and violent portrayals of Black women that continue to circulate in contemporary culture. Incorporating imagery of mothers, virgins and goddesses from across art history, she combines cultural symbolism and Afro-futurist influences to create artworks.
Through her unique approach, Mutu develops her own form of visual myth-making, blending fiction with historical reference to imagine new symbolic female figures beyond those traditionally found in mainstream culture. Her work has previously been recognised by the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden in 2017 and the National Museum of African Art in 2019.
The Contemporary Fellowship programme is backed by Art Fund, which opened the selection process to public collecting institutions beyond London for the partnership role. The Whitworth was chosen by the National Gallery’s Modern and Contemporary Advisory Panel in acknowledgement of the institution’s ambitious international outlook as well as the strength of its exhibitions and collections programme.
The fellowship will culminate in an exhibition presented first at the National Gallery from 9 October 2027 to 6 February 2028, before travelling to Whitworth in spring 2028.
