The artist celebrating blackness with 24-karat magic

[T]here’s a sense of majesty about Lina Iris Viktor’s portraits. The British Liberian artist uses an opulent black and gold colour palette to renegotiate ideas about blackness and the African diaspora. Bringing together religious symbolism, cosmology and indigenous history – Lina’s intricate pieces position black as the colour from which all things come forth, the origin of all forms of life.

Creating intricate detailing and patterns using 24-karat gold, her art fuses surrealism with an afrofuturist vision – placing strong and powerful women at the centre. Layered in meaning and beautiful to look at, preview a series of her works below which are currently on display in London as part of her Black Exodus exhibition for the Amar Gallery which runs until 31 October.