Captivating video portrait of renowned human rights activist Sir Geoff Palmer enters the national collection

National Galleries of Scotland is delighted to have acquired a fascinating portrait of renowned human rights activist and scientist, Professor Sir Geoff Palmer, created by Scottish artist, Graham Fagen. The contemporary video portrait is available to view for free at the Portrait in Edinburgh. Filmed in the building’s impressive Great Hall, the portrait is now on display in the ambulatory. In the compelling 19-minute video, Graham Fagen truly captures Sir Geoff’s story and spirit.

Artist Fagen was inspired by Sir Geoff, after seeing and hearing him speak at public events. Sir Geoff’s warmth and compassion, while expressing his life experiences and views on contemporary Scotland and its historic relationship with the transatlantic slave trade, motivated Fagen to create a contemporary portrait that captured the sitter’s essence and personality.

In this single channel video portrait, Fagen captures Sir Geoff talking about his life, from growing up in Jamaica, to becoming an esteemed academic in Edinburgh. We are shown close ups of a bracelet adorned with the Jamaican flag, which Sir Geoff wears proudly on his wrist showing his connection to his homeland.

Fagen’s portrait breaks the boundaries of what we think of as traditional portraiture. He wanted to show how Sir Geoff can command our attention with his humility and consideration as he engages us in a brutal history with harsh truths. Sir Geoff’s research experience as a life scientist enables him to evidence, in a matter-of-fact way, the truths of the history that connects Jamaica, the country of his birth, with Scotland, the country of his home, via the experience of the Windrush generation. By working in collaboration with Sir Geoff, Fagen has made a work that expands our perceptions and offers new thought and knowledge on the complexities of portraiture.

From seeing and hearing Sir Geoff speak, Fagen wanted to capture his personality in the portrait – his voice; his autobiography, his thoughts, his hopes – as well as a likeness: his head, eyes, nose, ears and mouth. To bring the soundtrack to life Fagen worked with reggae musician Ghetto Priest, with whom he had previously collaborated on The Slave’s Lament.

Sir Geoff Palmer OBE is a life-long human rights activist and historian of Scotland’s relations with the Caribbean. His story is a remarkable one. After leaving Jamaica for London in 1955 aged 14, he attended school in the city, eventually continuing his studies at Leicester, Edinburgh and Heriot-Watt universities. As a scientist, his research at the Brewing Research Foundation from 1968–77 led to the discovery of the barley abrasion process – which makes the malting process more efficient. For this research, he was awarded the American Society of Brewing Chemists Award of Distinction in 1998. In 1989, Sir Geoff became the first Black university professor in Scotland. He is the author of a critically acclaimed book, The Enlightenment Abolished: Citizens of Britishness, in which he argues for maintaining but reinterpreting public monuments associated with the transatlantic slave trade.

Graham Fagen is one of the UK’s foremost contemporary artists. In video, performance, photography, sculpture and text, he creates works which explore how national and personal identity is created by, and is a response to, one’s cultural contexts. Although his works draw on varied references and embrace all manner of materials and media, they all, in some way, touch on the role of society, history and cultural turning points in the lives of both individuals and communities. Whether made for a gallery or in the public realm, Fagen’s works are frequently developed over time, involving the collaboration and participation of others. Fagen’s points of departure include the history and effect of the transatlantic slave trade, the cultural influences of music, nature and the symbolic power of flowers, urban planning and regeneration. Born in Glasgow, Fagen studied Sculpture at Glasgow School of Art from 1984-88, followed by Art and Architecture at Kent Institute of Art & Design from 1989-90. Alongside his own work, he is a Professor of Fine Art at Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art & Design.

Exhibiting this portrait will enable a public sharing of the history, legacy and humanity of Sir Geoff’s human rights work. It will stand as a valuable marker and evidence of the contemporary relevance of the shared history between Scotland and the Caribbean.

Graham Fagen said: “I was extremely honoured to work with Sir Geoff in order to make an artwork that shares his life and work. Geoff’s life is one that has profoundly influenced and shaped the world we live in today.”

Professor Sir Geoff Palmer said: “We cannot change the past but we can change consequences such as racism for the better using education. I hope my portrait can help bring awareness to these matters.”

Sir John Leighton, Director-General of National Galleries of Scotland said: “We are proud to display Graham’s wonderfully moving portrait of Sir Geoff Palmer. This work recognises Sir Geoff’s many achievements and is an important acquisition that we are delighted to welcome into Scotland’s national collection.”