Yinka Shonibare MBE

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.