Diving headfirst into the unexplored can be a transformative experience, as artist Charmaine Watkiss demonstrates through her compelling work that challenges conventional narratives in museum contexts. As a child, Watkiss often visited G Baldwin’s, a herbalist shop in London’s Elephant and Castle, where her mother would send her to gather medicinal herbs and sarsaparilla. "This place has been an apothecary for over a century," she recalls. "In the 1970s and 80s, it served as a vital resource for Black women. You could walk in and say, 'I’m dealing with this issue,' and they’d recommend something fitting."
Watkiss’s mother was part of the Windrush generation, who journeyed from the Caribbean to the UK, and these childhood memories ignited a new path of exploration for Watkiss ahead of her debut gallery exhibition in 2021, titled The Seed Keepers. This exhibit delved into the botanical connections between the Caribbean, the UK, and Africa, framed within the historical context of the transatlantic slave trade. "While creating in my studio, I realized that such knowledge must have traveled alongside those who were enslaved," she reflects. This realization inspired her to create large illustrated portraits showcasing women of African descent alongside medicinal plants, drawing parallels to historical botanical illustrations that illustrate how enslaved individuals relied on herbal wisdom for their survival.
As she prepares for an exhibition featuring newly commissioned works at the Royal Albert Memorial Museum (RAMM) in Exeter, Watkiss emphasizes the importance of connecting her art directly with the museum's collections. Upon examining the West Africa display, she recognized a significant gap: "The story of the diaspora was conspicuously absent," she explains. "I felt compelled to address the experiences of those taken from the continent—my ancestors—and to represent the diaspora through my materials."
In a departure from her usual technique of drawing on paper, Watkiss embraced sculpture for this project, inspired by RAMM’s collection of masks. She was particularly captivated by the mukenga helmet masks from the Kuba kingdom in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, which are traditionally crafted using cowrie shells and glass beads. "My mask will be displayed alongside other African masks in the cabinet," she shares. "Interestingly, there are also some masks on loan from the British Museum, creating an interesting dialogue between the pieces." Additionally, her commission includes a new watercolor that incorporates elements from the museum's collection, such as a nkisi figure that holds cultural significance for healing and protection. "With sculpture, I work more intuitively. In contrast, drawing involves research first, and then the drawing takes precedence," she explains.
Watkiss's journey to becoming an artist has not been smooth sailing. Initially, she worked as a footwear designer during the late 1980s but encountered discrimination within the industry. Subsequently, she shifted her focus to film studies, where one of her instructors dismissively claimed that "Black people made no contributions to Western civilization." Determined to challenge this assertion, she wrote her dissertation to provide evidence to the contrary. In 2015, she crafted a five-year plan outlining her aspiration to become an artist, despite having no clear idea of how to realize that goal. Watkiss began with a foundation course at City Lit in London before pursuing a Master’s degree in illustration at Wimbledon School of Art. In January 2020, she took a bold leap by shutting down her previous work website, a decision she attributes partly to her practice of reiki. "When you heal someone, you align their energy with a specific intention. I tested this concept on myself, and it proved effective. It’s a matter of taking a leap into the unknown and trusting that you won’t falter when you jump."
This isn't Watkiss's first engagement with historical museum collections. She has previously held research fellowships at the Sloane Lab, collaborating with both the Natural History Museum and the British Museum. "I aimed to uncover what Hans Sloane and his peers understood about healing plants, many of which were collected by enslaved Africans," she notes. A recently commissioned piece by Watkiss is currently displayed at London’s National Portrait Gallery, positioned adjacent to a portrait of Sloane—a prominent figure who profited from enslaved individuals in Jamaica through his wife’s sugar plantations. Notably, his collection laid the groundwork for the British Museum, and he owned the land that now houses Sloane Street and Sloane Square in London. Watkiss reinterprets a woman mentioned by Sloane in an 18th-century text as a “queen in her own country,” highlighting her role in treating Sloane’s foot ailment.
When discussing the complexities of addressing legacies of race and slavery within Western museum collections, Watkiss acknowledges the deeply rooted challenges: "It's a complicated and challenging history. The trauma is generational—it's embedded in our DNA. Growing up in a Western culture, facing certain perceptions adds another layer of complexity." In her reinterpretation of Sloane’s portrait, Watkiss shifts the focus from him to the woman who had previously been marginalized. In her work, the healer is portrayed seated on a throne, laden with symbolism, including the sankofa bird—a powerful Akan symbol representing the importance of looking back to progress forward.
Charmaine Watkiss's exhibition, titled For the Ones Who Came Before ..., will be on display at RAMM in Exeter from February 10 through August 16.
