The Wick List

Viewing Yinka Shonibare’s dazzling “Suspended States” take over Serpentine South

The Wick Culture - Yinka Shonibare CBE African Bird Magic (Sokoke Scops-Owl), 2023 Patchwork, applique, quilting, hand dyed silk, linen and cotton and Dutch wax printed cotton 205 x 164 x 5 cm Courtesy of 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. Photographer: Stephen White & Co. © Yinka Shonibare CBE

Above Yinka Shonibare CBE African Bird Magic (Sokoke Scops-Owl), 2023 Patchwork, applique, quilting, hand dyed silk, linen and cotton and Dutch wax printed cotton 205 x 164 x 5 cm Courtesy of 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. Photographer: Stephen White & Co. © Yinka Shonibare CBE

The Wick Culture - Yinka Shonibare CBE, Decolonised Structures, 2022-23. Fibreglass sculptures, hand-painted with Dutch wax pattern, gold leaf and wooden plinths. Dimensions variable. Commissioned by Sharjah Art Foundation. Courtesy of 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. Photographer: Stephen White & Co. © Yinka Shonibare CBE

Above Yinka Shonibare CBE, Decolonised Structures, 2022-23. Fibreglass sculptures, hand-painted with Dutch wax pattern, gold leaf and wooden plinths. Dimensions variable. Commissioned by Sharjah Art Foundation. Courtesy of 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. Photographer: Stephen White & Co. © Yinka Shonibare CBE

The Wick Culture - Wind Sculpture in Bronze IV, 2024. Courtesy Yinka Shonibare CBE and James Cohan Gallery. Photo: © Stephen White & Co.

Above Wind Sculpture in Bronze IV, 2024. Courtesy Yinka Shonibare CBE and James Cohan Gallery. Photo: © Stephen White & Co.

The Wick Culture - Sanctuary City (Chiswick Women’s Refuge), 2024. Courtesy Yinka Shonibare CBE and Goodman Gallery, Cape Town, Johannesburg, London and New York; James Cohan Gallery, New York; and Stephen Friedman Gallery, London and New York. Photo: © Stephen White & Co

Above Sanctuary City (Chiswick Women’s Refuge), 2024. Courtesy Yinka Shonibare CBE and Goodman Gallery, Cape Town, Johannesburg, London and New York; James Cohan Gallery, New York; and Stephen Friedman Gallery, London and New York. Photo: © Stephen White & Co

The Wick Culture - Yinka Shonibare CBE, Decolonised Structures (Frere), 2022. Fibreglass sculpture, hand-painted with Dutch wax pattern and wooden plinth, 143 x 49 x 60 cm. Commissioned by Sharjah Art Foundation. Courtesy of 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. Photographer: Stephen White & Co. © Yinka Shonibare CBE

Above Yinka Shonibare CBE, Decolonised Structures (Frere), 2022. Fibreglass sculpture, hand-painted with Dutch wax pattern and wooden plinth, 143 x 49 x 60 cm. Commissioned by Sharjah Art Foundation. Courtesy of 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. Photographer: Stephen White & Co. © Yinka Shonibare CBE

The Wick Culture - The War Library, 2024 [detail]. Courtesy Yinka Shonibare CBE and Goodman Gallery, Cape Town, Johannesburg, London and New York; James Cohan Gallery, New York; and Stephen Friedman Gallery, London and New York. Photo: © Stephen White & Co.

Above The War Library, 2024 [detail]. Courtesy Yinka Shonibare CBE and Goodman Gallery, Cape Town, Johannesburg, London and New York; James Cohan Gallery, New York; and Stephen Friedman Gallery, London and New York. Photo: © Stephen White & Co.

The Wick Culture - Yinka Shonibare CBE, Decolonised Structures (Roberts), 2022, Fibreglass sculpture, hand-painted with Dutch wax pattern goldleaf and wooden plinth, 180 x 70 x 149.5 cm. Commissioned by Sharjah Art Foundation. Courtesy of 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. Photographer: Stephen White & Co. © Yinka Shonibare CBE

Above Yinka Shonibare CBE, Decolonised Structures (Roberts), 2022, Fibreglass sculpture, hand-painted with Dutch wax pattern goldleaf and wooden plinth, 180 x 70 x 149.5 cm. Commissioned by Sharjah Art Foundation. Courtesy of 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. Photographer: Stephen White & Co. © Yinka Shonibare CBE

The Wick Culture - Viewing Yinka Shonibare’s dazzling “Suspended States” take over Serpentine South

Above

The Wick Culture -
Portrait of Yinka Shonibare CBE RA. Photography by Tom Jamieson. Image © Yinka Shonibare CBE and Tom Jamieson.
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Yinka Shonibare CBE, Decolonised Structures, 2022-23. Fibreglass sculptures, hand-painted with Dutch wax pattern, gold leaf and wooden plinths. Dimensions variable. Commissioned by Sharjah Art Foundation. Courtesy of 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. Photographer: Stephen White & Co. © Yinka Shonibare CBE
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Yinka Shonibare CBE, Decolonised Structures (Queen Victoria), 2022, Fibreglass sculpture, hand-painted with Dutch wax pattern and wooden plinth, 139 x 75 x 57 cm. Commissioned by Sharjah Art Foundation. Courtesy of 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. Photographer: Stephen White & Co. © Yinka Shonibare CBE

Above Portrait of Yinka Shonibare CBE RA. Photography by Tom Jamieson. Image © Yinka Shonibare CBE and Tom Jamieson. DOWNLOAD ↓ Yinka Shonibare CBE, Decolonised Structures, 2022-23. Fibreglass sculptures, hand-painted with Dutch wax pattern, gold leaf and wooden plinths. Dimensions variable. Commissioned by Sharjah Art Foundation. Courtesy of 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. Photographer: Stephen White & Co. © Yinka Shonibare CBE DOWNLOAD ↓ Yinka Shonibare CBE, Decolonised Structures (Queen Victoria), 2022, Fibreglass sculpture, hand-painted with Dutch wax pattern and wooden plinth, 139 x 75 x 57 cm. Commissioned by Sharjah Art Foundation. Courtesy of 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. Photographer: Stephen White & Co. © Yinka Shonibare CBE

Above Wind Sculpture in Bronze IV, 2024. Courtesy Yinka Shonibare CBE and James Cohan Gallery. Photo: © Stephen White & Co.

Yinka Shonibare, Suspended States

Serpentine South
12 April – 1 September 2024

It’s hard to believe Yinka Shonibare hasn’t had a solo exhibition at a British institution for more than twenty years – but his hotly anticipated takeover of the Serpentine South will be well worth the wait. In recent years, Shonibare has been celebrated as a curator (including a touring exhibition with the Arts Council Collection, and a survey of contemporary African art held at Stephen Friedman Gallery in 2022). The Nigerian-born artist is also the founder of Guest Projects, an experimental arts space in Hackney active since 2006, and the Guest Artist Space (G.A.S.) Foundation residency spaces he launched in two locations in Nigeria in 2019.

Ahead of his inclusion in the Nigerian Pavilion at the 60th Venice Biennale (opening next week) this exhibition recentres Shonibare’s highly influential, innovative and original artistic practice. Intertwining Shonibare’s signature visual style (such as his use of Dutch wax print) with the urgency of his social, humanitarian enterprise, the exhibition moves from his recognisable sculptural and textile works, and promises two new large-scale installations: Sanctuary City, a series of miniature models of buildings that are or have been used as places of refuge for the persecuted, each painted black and illuminated from within; and War Library, featuring 5,000 books bound in Dutch wax print with gold lettering, referring to conflicts and peace treaties with imperialist connections. Shonibare’s welcome return proves he’s just as bold and ambitious as ever.