The White Pube's 'Poor Artists' Novel Critiques Art World Inequality Through Working-Class Muslim Protagonist

Gabrielle de la Puente and Zarina Muhammad, known as The White Pube, have published 'Poor Artists,' a fictional critique of the art industry. The book follows Quest Talukdar, a working-class Muslim artist from Liverpool who becomes disillusioned with an art world depicted as bigoted and unequal. After burning out from pursuing a career in London, she joins a studio collective in Liverpool under mentor Sheila, who encourages making affordable art. The narrative includes scenes at art fairs and critiques capitalism, with references to Salvador Dalí's 'lobster telephone' and Surrealism's anticapitalist potential. Published by Particular Books, an imprint of Penguin Random House, the hardcover sells for £20. The White Pube, who met in art school in 2013, built a brand through first-person criticism on their website, using a style with emojis and political grievances. They have advocated for removing Tate Britain's Rex Whistler mural and targeting transphobic individuals, gaining coverage in Vogue and partnerships with Nando's. The review notes the prose as stodgy and uneven, with heavy-handed political messaging that contrasts with the authors' commercial publishing choice. Quest's awakening occurs in a conversation at an art fair discussing anarchism and capitalism's failures.