Location
Serpentine South Gallery,
London,
W2 3XA
Dates
This exhibition runs from Fri, 12th Apr 2024 to Sun, 1st Sep 2024.
Forthcoming dates:
Cost: Free of Charge
Description
For over 30 years, Yinka Shonibare CBE has used Western art history and literature to explore contemporary culture and national identities. Suspended States is the artist’s first London solo exhibition in over 20 years. It showcases new works, interrogating how systems of power affect sites of refuge, debates on public statues, the ecological impact of colonialisation and the legacy of imperialism on conflict and consequential attempts at peace.
The exhibition includes two new major installations at Serpentine South. Sanctuary City (2024) is comprised of miniature buildings representing places of refuge for persecuted and vulnerable groups. The War Library (2024) consists of 5,000 books bound in Dutch wax print representing conflicts and peace treaties.
Throughout the exhibition Shonibare’s signature use of Dutch wax print symbolises the tangled relationship between Africa and Europe. This brightly coloured fabric was inspired by Indonesian batik designs, mass-produced by the Dutch and eventually sold to British colonies in West Africa, where it later was referred to as ‘African print.’ In Decolonised Structures (2022-2023) the artist paints these patterns on his smaller-scale replicas of London’s large public sculptures. Reconstructing colonial figures such as Queen Victoria and Herbert Kitchener, Shonibare questions the role and presence of these monuments.
Additional works highlight luxurious lifestyles supported by colonisation and the importance of African art to global culture. Shonibare also draws links between the history of xenophobia and the impact of colonisation on the environment in his quilts, including his new series African Bird Magic (2024).
The exhibition also highlights Shonibare’s social practice including his Guest Project experimental space in Hackney and the Guest Artist Space (G.A.S.) Foundation he launched in Nigeria in 2019.
Contact and Booking Details
More information at this website.
Reserve tickets at this website
Disclaimer
The information and prices in this listing are presumed to be correct at the time of publishing, but please always check with the venue before making a special trip.
All images are supplied by the exhibition organiser.
This exhibition runs from Fri, 12th Apr 2024 to Sun, 1st Sep 2024
This event runs over several days/weeks. Dates include:
May 2024
- Sun, 19th May 2024
Closed - Mon, 20th May 2024
Closed - Tue, 21st May 2024
(10:00am - 6:00pm) - Wed, 22nd May 2024
(10:00am - 6:00pm) - Thu, 23rd May 2024
(10:00am - 6:00pm) - Fri, 24th May 2024
(10:00am - 6:00pm) - Sat, 25th May 2024
(10:00am - 6:00pm) - Sun, 26th May 2024
(10:00am - 6:00pm) - Mon, 27th May 2024
Closed - Tue, 28th May 2024
(10:00am - 6:00pm) - Wed, 29th May 2024
(10:00am - 6:00pm) - Thu, 30th May 2024
(10:00am - 6:00pm) - Fri, 31st May 2024
(10:00am - 6:00pm)
June 2024
- Sat, 1st Jun 2024
(10:00am - 6:00pm) - Sun, 2nd Jun 2024
(10:00am - 6:00pm) - Mon, 3rd Jun 2024
Closed - Tue, 4th Jun 2024
(10:00am - 6:00pm) - Wed, 5th Jun 2024
(10:00am - 6:00pm) - Thu, 6th Jun 2024
(10:00am - 6:00pm) - Fri, 7th Jun 2024
(10:00am - 6:00pm) - Sat, 8th Jun 2024
(10:00am - 6:00pm) - Sun, 9th Jun 2024
(10:00am - 6:00pm) - Mon, 10th Jun 2024
Closed - Tue, 11th Jun 2024
(10:00am - 6:00pm) - Wed, 12th Jun 2024
(10:00am - 6:00pm) - Thu, 13th Jun 2024
(10:00am - 6:00pm) - Fri, 14th Jun 2024
(10:00am - 6:00pm) - Sat, 15th Jun 2024
(10:00am - 6:00pm) - Sun, 16th Jun 2024
(10:00am - 6:00pm) - Mon, 17th Jun 2024
Closed - Tue, 18th Jun 2024
(10:00am - 6:00pm) - Wed, 19th Jun 2024
(10:00am - 6:00pm) - Thu, 20th Jun 2024
(10:00am - 6:00pm) - Fri, 21st Jun 2024
(10:00am - 6:00pm) - Sat, 22nd Jun 2024
(10:00am - 6:00pm) - Sun, 23rd Jun 2024
(10:00am - 6:00pm) - Mon, 24th Jun 2024
Closed - Tue, 25th Jun 2024
(10:00am - 6:00pm) - Wed, 26th Jun 2024
(10:00am - 6:00pm) - Thu, 27th Jun 2024
(10:00am - 6:00pm) - Fri, 28th Jun 2024
(10:00am - 6:00pm) - Sat, 29th Jun 2024
(10:00am - 6:00pm) - Sun, 30th Jun 2024
(10:00am - 6:00pm)
July 2024
- Mon, 1st Jul 2024
Closed - Tue, 2nd Jul 2024
(10:00am - 6:00pm) - Wed, 3rd Jul 2024
(10:00am - 6:00pm) - Thu, 4th Jul 2024
(10:00am - 6:00pm) - Fri, 5th Jul 2024
(10:00am - 6:00pm) - Sat, 6th Jul 2024
(10:00am - 6:00pm) - Sun, 7th Jul 2024
(10:00am - 6:00pm) - Mon, 8th Jul 2024
Closed - Tue, 9th Jul 2024
(10:00am - 6:00pm) - Wed, 10th Jul 2024
(10:00am - 6:00pm) - Thu, 11th Jul 2024
(10:00am - 6:00pm) - Fri, 12th Jul 2024
(10:00am - 6:00pm) - Sat, 13th Jul 2024
(10:00am - 6:00pm) - Sun, 14th Jul 2024
(10:00am - 6:00pm) - Mon, 15th Jul 2024
Closed - Tue, 16th Jul 2024
(10:00am - 6:00pm) - Wed, 17th Jul 2024
(10:00am - 6:00pm) - Thu, 18th Jul 2024
(10:00am - 6:00pm) - Fri, 19th Jul 2024
(10:00am - 6:00pm) - Sat, 20th Jul 2024
(10:00am - 6:00pm) - Sun, 21st Jul 2024
(10:00am - 6:00pm) - Mon, 22nd Jul 2024
Closed - Tue, 23rd Jul 2024
(10:00am - 6:00pm) - Wed, 24th Jul 2024
(10:00am - 6:00pm) - Thu, 25th Jul 2024
(10:00am - 6:00pm) - Fri, 26th Jul 2024
(10:00am - 6:00pm) - Sat, 27th Jul 2024
(10:00am - 6:00pm) - Sun, 28th Jul 2024
(10:00am - 6:00pm) - Mon, 29th Jul 2024
Closed - Tue, 30th Jul 2024
(10:00am - 6:00pm) - Wed, 31st Jul 2024
(10:00am - 6:00pm)
August 2024
- Thu, 1st Aug 2024
(10:00am - 6:00pm) - Fri, 2nd Aug 2024
(10:00am - 6:00pm) - Sat, 3rd Aug 2024
(10:00am - 6:00pm) - Sun, 4th Aug 2024
(10:00am - 6:00pm) - Mon, 5th Aug 2024
Closed - Tue, 6th Aug 2024
(10:00am - 6:00pm) - Wed, 7th Aug 2024
(10:00am - 6:00pm) - Thu, 8th Aug 2024
(10:00am - 6:00pm) - Fri, 9th Aug 2024
(10:00am - 6:00pm) - Sat, 10th Aug 2024
(10:00am - 6:00pm) - Sun, 11th Aug 2024
(10:00am - 6:00pm) - Mon, 12th Aug 2024
Closed - Tue, 13th Aug 2024
(10:00am - 6:00pm) - Wed, 14th Aug 2024
(10:00am - 6:00pm) - Thu, 15th Aug 2024
(10:00am - 6:00pm) - Fri, 16th Aug 2024
(10:00am - 6:00pm) - Sat, 17th Aug 2024
(10:00am - 6:00pm) - Sun, 18th Aug 2024
(10:00am - 6:00pm) - Mon, 19th Aug 2024
Closed - Tue, 20th Aug 2024
(10:00am - 6:00pm) - Wed, 21st Aug 2024
(10:00am - 6:00pm) - Thu, 22nd Aug 2024
(10:00am - 6:00pm) - Fri, 23rd Aug 2024
(10:00am - 6:00pm) - Sat, 24th Aug 2024
(10:00am - 6:00pm) - Sun, 25th Aug 2024
(10:00am - 6:00pm) - Mon, 26th Aug 2024
Closed - Tue, 27th Aug 2024
(10:00am - 6:00pm) - Wed, 28th Aug 2024
(10:00am - 6:00pm) - Thu, 29th Aug 2024
(10:00am - 6:00pm) - Fri, 30th Aug 2024
(10:00am - 6:00pm) - Sat, 31st Aug 2024
(10:00am - 6:00pm)
September 2024
- Sun, 1st Sep 2024
(10:00am - 6:00pm)
Location
Serpentine South Gallery,
London,
W2 3XA