Tanya Bentley, Contemporary Curator at the National Portrait Gallery, chairs a lively discussion between acclaimed artists Charmaine Watkiss and Curtis Holder, to explore the connections between contemporary portrait drawing and visual storytelling. Watkiss and Holder discuss their drawing practise in relation to the theme of storytelling, and explore general trends in contemporary portrait drawing today.

Artists often use the simplest and most conventional tools for drawing, such as pencil and pen on paper, which are also the most common writing tools. More than any other medium, drawing tends to be more reactive, accessible, fluid and personal. These characteristics of drawing lend themselves to storytelling and the possibility of incorporating multiple narratives into a single work, including overlooked or misrepresented stories in history.

Guests:

Charmaine Watkiss is a British artist known for her works exploring the botanical legacy of the Caribbean and and tracking the lineage to Africa. Informed by detailed archival research, she reimagines the women through whom such knowledge of plants and their properties has been handed down. Watkiss uses her own likeness to tell these collectively experienced 'memory stories'.

A newly commissioned work by Watkiss currently features in Artists First: Contemporary Perspectives on Portraiture, on display at the National Portrait Gallery until 2 August 2026.

Curtis Holder is a London-based artist known for large-scale graphite and coloured pencil portraits and figurative works on paper. His practice is rooted in dialogue with his sitters, with drawings emerging through dynamic, febrile lines that trace their evolving relationship. Through this process, Holder brings visibility to people whose stories are often overlooked in mainstream narratives, revealing the tenderness, presence and emotional resonance of each subject.

To view the artworks discussed in this episode visit:

https://britishportraits.org/resources/podcast/episode-one

Host:

As Contemporary Curator at the National Portrait Gallery, Tanya Bentley works with the Senior Curator of Contemporary Collections to look after the Gallery's large collection of contemporary portraits (2000 - present). Tanya researches the collection, makes acquisitions, commissions new portraits and curates exhibitions, temporary displays and gallery rehangs of contemporary portraiture at NPG. Tanya is currently curating a three-year rotating exhibition (2023-26) of materials from the Lucian Freud Archive held at NPG.

The Understanding British Portraits Podcast is a series that explores current ideas and debates around the power of portraiture. The series investigates who gets to be depicted in portraiture, how we should display and talk about portraiture and how portraits can help us tell the stories of people underrepresented in the arts. The episodes are curated and presented by guest hosts who come from a wide range of backgrounds in the art history, heritage and museum worlds.

Visit https://britishportraits.org/resources/podcast to find out more.

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