Wow! The Serpentine Gallery never ceases to amaze, question, challenge nor disappoint. You leave swooning or swimming with thoughts and feelings that confront one’s views and news! Yinka Shonibare CBE was born in London in 1962 and raised between Lagos and London. Is it any wonder that he brings such powerful imagery, creativity and artistry to the Serpentine Gallery.
The exhibition by Yinka Shonibare titled ‘Suspended States’ is probing and provocative. He ‘explores (why can artists do this and not the rest of us?) cultural identity in a globalised world’. Get the drift for what’s coming?
His works incudes installations, sculptures, textiles and wood cuts (why can’t we all be multi skilled instead of having to be put in one basket?).
His works are anchored to the place and space , a gallery in a Royal Park. He explores the role of public colonial statues (funny that as we just passed the huge memorial statue to Prince Albert, Queen Victoria’s consort), sites of refuge (no not the Rwanda Solution!) the legacy of war (are you getting the drift of how impactful this exhibition is?) and consequential attempts at peace (yes the ‘peace’ deals that paved the way for today’s middle east at war).
‘Sanctuary City’ is in a dark place and comprises ‘scaled down replicas of historic and contemporary buildings from across the globe that have been or considered places of refuge for persecuted and vulnerable groups’.
The ‘War Library’ is profound and data based and artistically driven. It contains 5270 bound books in Dutch wax print cotton with 2700 books in gold lettering naming conflicts and peace treaties the result of imperial ambitions. Included in the data base are the indigenous wars that occurred in Australia. But the installation raises also questions about ‘human memory and amnesia’. It asks us the question - what have we learned from conflict and peace treaties?
To read more about these astounding works - https://www.serpentinegalleries.org/whats-on/yinka-shonibare-cbe-suspended-states/
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