‘We put our heads above the parapet’: Lubaina Himid on winning her 40-year battle to storm the Venice Biennale

In the 1980s, she had to show her work in a corridor by the ICA’s toilet. Now she’s representing Britain at the ‘art Olympics’. So is the artist feeling a bit establishment? Quite the reverse Lubaina Himid’s British pavilion review The Venice Biennale opening is just days away but Lubaina Himid isn’t in a rush. The artist, who will represent Britain at the “Olympics of art”, is at home in Preston, where there’s an air of calm. Her wife and frequent collaborator Magda Stawarska is making a pot of tea. Gardeners are moving paving slabs in the back yard. We wander around her beautiful Victorian terrace to the house directly behind. Himid bought it, knocked down a wall between the two properties and has almost finished turning it into a studio. It’s airy, light-filled and serene. Works on canvas are dotted around; paintbrushes sit neatly in custom-made cabinetry. Everything is in its right place. The reason for the Zen-like vibe could be that Himid has already installed her work ahead of what is the biggest week in her career to date. “I’m very obedient,” she confesses. “I did as I was told, unlike John Akomfrah, who does what the fuck he likes.” She’s j