Monday 10 June 2019

Yinka Shonibare at Tate Modern

A visit to the Tate Modern on Friday morning was a welcome break from the rain and a great way to get inspired. I decided to wander around the permanent exhibitions and came across a room with a stunning installation by British-Nigerian artist Yinka Shonibare. He was born, studied and lives in London, but grew up in Lagos, Nigeria and his dual identity as British-Nigerian has been the starting point for much of his work.


This piece of work is called The British Library and contains more than 6,000 books, each covered in the brightly-coloured fabric synonymous with West and Central Africa.


2,700 of the books have gold printed names on them. They are the names of first and second-generation immigrants to Britain who have made significant contributions to British culture and history. There are also names who opposed immigration.


The remaining unmarked books suggest that the story of immigration in Britain is still being written.



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