Helen Cammock defends Churchill video at National Portrait Gallery after peer backlash
Helen Cammock, the Turner Prize-winning artist, has stood by her 40-minute video titled 'Persistence' showcased at the National Portrait Gallery (NPG). This comes after Lord Roberts of Belgravia, a biographer of Churchill, led a group of over 50 peers in denouncing the piece as a 'barefaced lie.' The video features a narration claiming that Churchill 'wilfully starved' the Indian populace during the Bengal famine of 1943, which resulted in approximately 3 million deaths. Cammock clarified that her work aims to spark conversations about whose narratives are recognized, rather than serving as a documentary. The NPG emphasized its commitment to artistic freedom while not endorsing the views presented. Commissioned in 2023, the piece will be displayed until August. Cammock joins other Black British artists, like Misan Harriman and Larry Achiampong, who have faced similar backlash from right-wing media, with some in the artistic community viewing this as an effort to suppress politically charged art.
Key facts
- Helen Cammock's video 'Persistence' at the National Portrait Gallery includes a claim that Winston Churchill 'wilfully starved' the Indian population during the Bengal famine of 1943.
- Lord Roberts of Belgravia, a Churchill biographer, led over 50 peers in a letter to the NPG calling the claim a 'barefaced lie' and the film an 'ideologically motivated rant'.
- The Telegraph also criticized Cammock's assertion as 'incorrect'.
- Cammock defended the work as a creative piece exploring ideas about history and portraiture, not a documentary.
- The Bengal famine of 1943 caused an estimated 3 million deaths; Churchill's role is debated by academics.
- The NPG said it supports freedom of artistic expression and has not received visitor complaints about the artwork.
- The work was commissioned in 2023 and will be on display until August.
- Cammock is the latest Black British artist targeted by right-wing press, following Misan Harriman and Larry Achiampong.
Entities
Artists
Institutions
- National Portrait Gallery
- Turner Prize
- Foreign Office
- The Telegraph
- The Guardian
- Southbank Centre
- Whitechapel Gallery
- Artlyst
- BBC
- BBC News
- House of Lords
- Artists First programme
Locations
- London
- India
- Ireland
- Bengal
- Downing Street
- Golders Green
- United Kingdom
- eastern India