Kimathi Donkor

Kimathi Donkor is a Reader in Black Art and Contemporary Painting at University of the Arts London, serving as Course Leader for BA Painting at Camberwell College of Arts. His artistic practice reimagines historical and contemporary encounters across Africa and its global diasporas through monumental paintings portraying pivotal Black historical figures and everyday contemporary scenes.

Donkor holds a PhD from Chelsea College of Arts (2016), MA in Fine Art from Camberwell College of Arts (2010), and BA in Fine Art from Goldsmiths University of London (1987). His postgraduate qualifications include a PGCE in Art and Design (Goldsmiths, 1991).

His research examines:

• Contemporary painting methodologies
• Decolonized art histories
• Trans-Atlantic slavery representation
• Diasporic visual narratives
• Black subjectivity in art history

Recent publications focus on reframing Black historical narratives through painting, with recurring themes of resistance, cultural memory, and identity politics. His artwork has been exhibited at major international institutions including the British Museum, National Portrait Gallery, and Venice Biennale.

Awards & Honors:

• August Beer Plaque (2017)
• Post-doctoral Research Fellowship (TrAIN Centre, 2016-2018)
• Artist residencies at Gallery MOMO and Gate Theatre
• Derek Hill Foundation Scholarship

Current PhD supervisions explore Afrofuturism, color symbolism in art, and protest-performance in Britain. He is represented by Niru Ratnam Gallery in London.