'We either look or we forget': artist makes case for Tate showing racist Whistler mural

An artist commissioned to respond to a mural in Tate Britain that has been sealed off from the public since 2020 because of its depictions of black and Chinese people, says viewing traumatic and racist images is crucial for us to truly grapple with our history.

- Lanre Bakare

Keith Piper was commissioned by Tate Britain in 2022 to create a work that reacted to the Rex Whistler mural, called the Expedition in Pursuit of Rare Meats, which has been closed after Tate's ethics committee decided it was "offensive".

Piper defended the decision to keep the mural - which is almost 100 years old, Grade-I listed and will reopen tomorrow - rather than remove it, arguing that it was "important to look at historical depictions in order to understand history".

He said: "I know there is an argument among young people that these images retraumatise, but I think we either look or forget. We are very good at forgetting nowadays and things that are out of sight go out of mind.

To keep a clear sense of history we need to see these things. We need to recognise the importance throughout black struggles, the importance of difficult images.