“Art, like philosophy,” says the British-Nigerian artist Yinka Shonibare CBE, “can start a debate and then can change thinking, and what we then hope is that that thinking becomes political, and then becomes policy.” For some, Shonibare’s work will certainly feel political. He explores cultural identity, colonialism, and post-colonialism through vibrant sculptures made with “African” fabric—wax-printed cotton he buys at London’s Brixton Market. The sculptures often take the form of historical tableaux; for instance, one of them represents the Berlin Conference of 1884–85, when European leaders divided Africa into arbitrary countries and then split them among themselves. This exhibition, Shonibare’s first major show on the continent, spans 20 years of his career and fills the museum’s entire 23,700-square-foot space. —Elena Clavarino