Howardena Pindell: inner circle

Born in 1943, Howardena Pindell is a trailblazing artist and curator, and one of the few Black female abstract artists of her time. Directed by the US filmmaker César Martínez Barba, this documentary begins in Pindell’s Bronx studio, offering an intimate view of her life and creative process. Her recurring motifs – circles and numbers – are contextualised with stories of their very personal inspirations, including her father’s scientific curiosity, her fascination with patterns in nature and her experiences of systemic racism. By melding Pindell’s voice, art and memories, the documentary invites viewers to see abstraction as an emotional practice where the deeply felt merges into broader historical and social contexts. It also offers a captivating portrait of a woman who, finding herself frustrated and often sidelined by a predominantly white art world’s narrow perspective on the Black experience during her younger years, was caught off guard by her late-in-life success and recognition.