Friday Lates poetry
Obsidian x The National Gallery
Free
Places are limited and available on a first come, first served basis.
Please arrive in good time to access the building and find the meeting place in the advertised room.
Please view our General Admissions page for more information.
About
Founded in 2020, Obsidian Foundation is an international organisation committed to cultivating the artistic and professional growth of Black poets.
Over the course of this evening, invited poets will work with poet, writer and founder of Obsidian Nick Makoha, to respond creatively to paintings in our collection through a range of writing activities. Nick is fascinated by the relationship between poetry and painting, their interconnectedness, and how one art form inspires the creation of another.
Join the group in the Gallery to hear their poetry performed for the first time, surrounded by the paintings by the leading and most influential Flemish artist of the Baroque period, Peter Paul Rubens.
Nick Makoha
Nick Makoha is a Ugandan poet and playwright based in London. His debut collection, ‘Kingdom of Gravity’, was shortlisted for the Felix Dennis Prize and was one of the Guardian’s Best Books of the Year. His poems have appeared in The New York Times, Poetry Review, Poetry Wales, Wasafiri, Boston Review, and Callaloo. He is the founder of Obsidian Foundation, winner of the 2021 Ivan Juritz Prize and the Poetry London Prize. ‘The New Carthaginians’ published by Penguin was released in February 2025.