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The Arts Intel Report

Yinka Shonibare: Planets in My Head

Apr 1 – Oct 23, 2022
1000 E Beltline Ave NE, Grand Rapids, MI 49525

Yinka Shonibare’s playful multimedia sculptures nod to the cannon of Western art while also commenting on postcolonialism and globalism. Shonibare himself identifies as a postcolonial hybrid. He is British-Nigerian, and in his art practice the two are in constant conversation. Shonibare will often employ vivid batik fabrics that recall Nigeria, as well as Dutch wax-fabric patterns. Artworks from the past 30 years are on view in this survey at Meijer Gardens, which includes many Shonibare pieces never before shown in the U.S. —Sophie Kemp

Moving Up, 2021 ©Yinka Shonibare CBE RA. Courtesy the artist and James Cohan Gallery, New York, Photo by Stephen White & Co.