Charmaine Watkiss: Legacy at Abbot Hall Museum
Charmaine Watkiss (born 1964) has a remarkable way of weaving history and cultural traditions together through the universal language of plants. Her work examines the connections between ancestry, botany, and cosmology, using her own likeness as a vessel to reflect collective experiences. Watkiss refers to her pieces as ‘memory stories,’ layering materials and meanings to form intricate narratives. Each drawing intertwines people and nature, exploring the wisdom and shared histories of both plant and human life.
Warriors Inhabit Mind, Body and Spirit - Graphite, pencil, watercolour and ink on paper, 2021
The exhibition at Abbot Hall marks the largest collection of Watkiss’ work to ever be shown in a public gallery, featuring a stunning new body of drawings. This recent work draws upon her extensive research into historic botanical collections, including insights from her fellowship exploring the legacy of Sir Hans Sloane—the naturalist, physician, and owner of enslaved people. The result is a thoughtful reflection on the intersections of biodiversity, cultural heritage, and the pressing ecological crises of today. Her art is both a lament for what has been lost and a rallying cry for preserving what remains.
The warriors way: recalling the lost legacies | To stand independent and proud | Safeguarding the sacred boundary of the bountiful
Coffee, water-soluble graphite, pencil, watercolour, colour pencil, ink and 22.5ct shell gold on paper, 2022/2024
What stands out in Watkiss’ work is its quiet power. It’s like the effect of a whisper in a room filled with shouting voices. The delicate pencil lines and eye-catching colours invite you in, but as you step closer, you’re struck by profound symbols that connect her themes to the transatlantic slave trade. This layering of beauty and harsh truths is a hallmark of her art.
The knowledge pool | Their resourceful adaptation of the curative
Water-soluble graphite, pencil, watercolour, colour pencil, Reckitts blue on paper, ink, and 22ct gold leaf on paper, 2024.
A particularly poignant part of the Legacy exhibition is her piece ‘Witness,’ a mixed media installation created for the 2023 Liverpool Biennial. ‘Witness’ was designed as a contemplative space for healing, grappling with Liverpool’s historical links to the transatlantic slave trade. Watkiss maps her extensive research into the African Caribbean diaspora onto life-sized figure drawings, which represent reflection and collection. These figures stand as powerful symbols of the unheard voices and stories that endured the horrors of the Middle Passage—the brutal voyage of enslaved Africans to the Americas.
Witness, mixed media installation, 2023
At the heart of ‘Witness’ is a sculpted river goddess, a striking figure rising from the water, carrying with her the evidence of a city’s trading heritage. Surrounding her are clay pipes that reference Liverpool’s tobacco warehouses while also nodding to Kendal’s history as Britain’s leading snuff manufacturing centre in the 18th century. The work’s layered connections to place, history, and identity create a deeply moving experience that lingers long after viewing.
Charmaine Watkiss’ art is not just something to be seen but something to be felt. Her ability to fuse delicate aesthetics with profound, unsettling truths makes her work both unforgettable and essential in today’s cultural landscape.
Read more about Charmaine Watkiss on her website.