Overview
Auckland Art Gallery, in association with Auckland Festival
2009, presents for the first time in New Zealand, the work of
internationally acclaimed UK artist Yinka Shonibare MBE
Shonibare is well-known for his eye-catching headless
mannequins, engaging photographic narratives and use of recurring
visual symbols such as Dutch wax "African print" fabric fashioned
into elaborate period costumes.
Employing diverse artistic media including sculpture,
photography and film, Shonibare playfully stimulates debate about
culture, identity and the legacy of European colonialism.
In 2004, Shonibare was short-listed for the Tate's prestigious
Turner prize. He has recently been selected to create the 2010
commission for the Fourth Plinth, the United Kingdom's most
prestigious public art commission, in Trafalgar Square, London.
The exhibition is curated by Rachel Kent and toured by The
Museum of Contemporary Art (MCA), Sydney, Australia.
From Auckland it will tour to the Brooklyn Museum, New York and
the National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution,
Washington DC.