Young Malcolm, Boston Red, Minister Malcolm X, el-Hajj Malik el-Shabazz (2025)

In his new painting series, Kenneth Aidoo depicts the growth of Malcolm X: from a dreaming young man, to an activist and spiritual mentor. Aidoo aims to show the relevance of Malcolm’s message against oppression today. By painting in Delft blue, he reverses the colonial symbolism of the colour and creates space for histories that have been overlooked. The series aligns with Aidoo’s broader practice, in which the representation of Black people and their underexposed histories runs as a thread. In his paintings, murals, and works on paper, the artist previously portrayed unknown Black saints and First World War soldiers, examining the position of Black people in the present.