Hail the blackstocrats

It's art, but not as the hierarchy knows it - and all the better for black creators on the rise

Unless you've been sleeping under a rock of late, you might have noticed there's been a meteoric rise of black influence on the global commercial art world - and it's only getting faster and further-reaching.

Last year's Soul of a Nation: Art in the Age of Black Power at Tate Britain shined a light on the vital contribution of black artists to a dramatic period in American art and history, opening with 1963 at the height of the civil rights movement and its dreams of integration. In its wake emerged more militant calls for black power: a rallying cry for American pride, autonomy and solidarity, drawing inspiration from newly independent African nations.