Charmaine Watkiss
The things we hold sacred

Charmaine has become known for her research-based drawing practice which focuses on plant knowledge handed down through generations of Caribbean families and tracing the lineage to Africa through the transatlantic slave trade. She is particularly interested in healing traditions passed down the maternal line, reflected in her work through constructed narratives around women. Her practice has also explored the accumulation of plant knowledge into western science.

Charmaine continues to navigate these themes in her work in addition to exploring the more spiritual and mystical side of plant knowledge. Significantly, she has now extended the range of materials and processes within her practice to more fully explore the conceptual possibilities of working in three dimensions and with a broad range of materials, including clay, brass, copper, wood and crystals.

Central to the exhibition will be a brand-new commissioned sculptural installation supported by a Jerwood Art Fund Commission Grant and delivered in partnership with Coventry University’s School of Arts and Creative Industries.  Charmaine has spent time in residence there, working closely with staff and students and benefiting from the space, facilities and expertise offered by the University. Significantly, the commissioned work will enter Walsall’s Collections and can be shared with generations to come.

A publication will be published to mark this important project with essays by Isabel Seligman and Cindy Sissokho. The publication is generously supported by Paul Mellon Centre.