From April 2024, Serpentine will present a solo exhibition of works by Yinka Shonibare CBE RA at Serpentine South. Shonibare’s interdisciplinary practice explores cultural identity and post-colonialism within the contemporary context of globalisation. Through his signature use of ‘African’ batik fabric, Shonibare comments on the tangled interrelationship between Africa and Europe. The exhibition will include installations of sculptures, pictorial quilts and woodcuts, presenting his explorations on the ongoing effects of boundaries ‘whether psychological, physical or geographical’. Shonibare’s most recent body of works explores sites of refuge, debates about statues and their place in our cities, and the European legacy of war and consequential attempts at peace.

The exhibition will also reveal the importance of cultural and social exchange projects to Shonibare’s practice, through his longstanding support of other artists which began in 2006 with Guest Projects in London. Recently, he launched Guest Artists Space (G. A. S.) Foundation in Nigeria, founded and developed by the artist. The Foundation is a non-profit dedicated to encouraging critical and engaging practices in the fields of contemporary art, design, architecture, science, agriculture, and ecology with the space to research, experiment, share, educate and develop ideas. At Frieze London and Frieze Masters 2023, Deutsche Bank featured works by the artist entitled ‘African Bird Magic’. Shonibare has also been selected as part of the official Nigerian Pavilion at the 60th International Art Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia from April 2024.

Image: Yinka Shonibare CBE RA, Decolonised Structures (Kitchener), 2022; Fibreglass sculpture, hand-painted with Dutch wax pattern and wooden plinth; 141 x 47 x 48.5 cm; Courtesy the artist and Stephen Friedman Gallery, London. Photographer: Stephen White & Co. ; Photo: © Yinka Shonibare CBE