Yinka Shonibare: Suspended States

The British-Nigerian artist Yinka Shonibare first exhibited at the Serpentine some 30 years ago, but this is his first institutional show in London in two decades. The works in this exhibition examine ecological crises, migration and the legacy of colonialism, with an emphasis on the relationship between Europe and Africa. In addition to two new installations, Sanctuary City and War Library, it includes Shonibare’s Decolonised Structures (2022–23), which reimagines seven of London’s public monuments of figures such as Queen Victoria. By painting replicas of these statues in Dutch wax fabric patterns, which were popularised in Britain’s West African colonies in the 19th century, Shonibare highlights the harmful narratives they put forward and questions their continued public display. The exhibition coincides with Shonibare’s inclusion in the Nigerian Pavilion at the Venice Biennale, which begins later this month. Find out more from the Serpentine’s website.

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Decolonised Structures (2022–23), Yinka Shonibare CBE. Photo: Stephen White & Co; courtesy the artist and Goodman Gallery, Cape Town, Johannesburg, London and New York, James Cohan Gallery, New York and Stephen Friedman Gallery, London and New York; © Yinka Shonibare CBE

Decolonised Structures (Queen Victoria) (2022–23), Yinka Shonibare CBE. Photo: Stephen White & Co; courtesy the artist and Goodman Gallery, Cape Town, Johannesburg, London and New York, James Cohan Gallery, New York and Stephen Friedman Gallery, London and New York; © Yinka Shonibare CBE

African Bird Magic (2023), Yinka Shonibare CBE. Photo: Stephen White & Co; courtesy the artist and Goodman Gallery, Cape Town, Johannesburg, London and New York, James Cohan Gallery, New York and Stephen Friedman Gallery, London and New York; © Yinka Shonibare CBE