Yinka Shonibare
Bio
Yinka Shonibare was born in London in 1962. He studied Fine Art at the Bayam School of Art and received his MFA from Goldsmiths University. Shonibare works across a variety of media, including sculpture, installation, photography, painting, film, and quilt work. Much of Shonibare's work grapples with questions of globalization and identity. One of his trademarks is the use of brightly colored batik fabric. Shonibare's work has been exhibited in many world-renowned museums, including the Tate Collection, the Victoria and Albert Museum, the National Museum of African Art, the Museum of Modern Art, Moderna Museet, the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago, the National Gallery of Canada, the National Gallery of Modern Art in Rome and the VandenBroek Foundation. Shonibare was awarded the title of "Commander of the Order of the British Empire" (CBE) in 2019.
(All information from Yinka Shonibare's website)
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Image Descriptions
"Spacewalk" Description: This image shows two figures suspended in the air. The figures are dressed in astronaut suits. The suits are made out of various fabrics with colorful, intricate designs. Each figure wears a black helmet over their head and a patterned oxygen tank on their back. The two figures are tertherd together. The figures float with their stomachs facing downwards and their limbs outstretched.
"Eden Painting" Description: This image shows a long, rectangular, light blue canvas hanging on a white wall above a gray cement floor. Sticking out from the canvas are circles of various shapes, colors, and patterns. Radiating from the sides of each of these circles are steel rods with little figurines at the ends.
"Party Time: Re-Imagine America" Description: This photgraph shows a mannequin standing in a grandly decorated room. The room has hardwood, lots of wood paneling, and long, ornate curtains hanging behind the figure. The figure stands on a small rug with its lefs slightly parted. The figure wears blac leather dress shoes and a green, orange, and white batik patterned suit. Notably, the mannequin has no head. The mannequin holds a platter that has a stuffed peacock seated on it.