I have chosen UK artist Yinka Shonibare MBE for my blog assignment. His works are typically Victorian themed and this works well with my Alice in Wonderland theme which of course was written in Victorian times.
Here’s a brief description of the artist from wikipedia:
Yinka Shonibare was born in London to Nigerian parents. At the age of three they moved to Lagos, the most populous city in Nigeria, where he grew up. He spoke Yoruba at home, but only English at his exclusive private school. His father was a successful lawyer, and summers were spent at their Battersea home in London. When Shonibare was 16, he was sent to board in England for his final two years of school education.
Shonibare has called himself “truly bicultural”.
At the age of 19 he decided to become an artist, against the wishes of his father. A month into his arts course he became seriously ill with a rare viral infection which attacked his spine and left him temporarily paralysed. He spent much of the next three years in physiotherapy. He is now paralyzed down one side and walks with difficulty using a stick. On his CV he identifies himself as ‘physically disabled’. For some years in the early 90s, he worked for Shape arts, a leading disability arts organisation.
He uses his physical limitations creatively – for example he works on many small scale pieces when making a larger scale artwork (see Maxa). “It’s certainly affected my method,” he comments. “I’ve become very good at delegating and have a number of people who facilitate my priorities.” He involves a professional theatre costumer to make up his dresses and professional photographers when necessary, arranging himself in poses which hide any stiffness of posture.
Earlier this year his works were exhibited at Auckland Art Gallery (28th February – 1st June 2009).
His works are famous for the headless mannequins clothed in european dress usually of the Victorian era, with the fabric being ‘african’ batik. This in itself has a hidden message as the batik fabric seen as traditionally African, is actually fabric that originated from Indonesia and was made in Holland in the 19th century but curiously is seen as authentic African. He actually purchases the fabric for his works from Brixton market! Due to colonialism it seems as though Africa has lost a bit of it’s identity?? What they believe to be authentic is actually fake. Therefore the fabric is important in that it shows how Africa has lost part of its identity due to western colonialism.
His work – Scramble for Africa (2003) plainly shows headless statesmen scrambling as the title suggests for a major land grab in Africa.
Scramble for Africa (2003)
Diary of a Victorian Dandy series – photographs (1998)
Victorian Philanthropist Parlour (1996-1997)
The wallpaper on closer inspection has a repeatedblack soccer player… according to Yinka it alludes to the relationship between colonial ‘haves’ and colonised ‘have nots’
I love this artist and the unique way he uses something as subtle as fabric to show an underlying message. I would love to hear other’s comments on what they think of this artist and his works… more information on the artist can be found on his website www.yinka-shonibare.co.uk.
