CLEMENTIA 2018

Yinka Shonibare’s “CLEMENTIA” is a sculpture of vibrant, patterned textiles draped over a headless figure, topped with a globe. The figure is both present and absent. I feel for Shonibare here, wrestling with identity, history, and the legacies of colonialism. What might he have been thinking, sewing these fabrics together? He’s known for using Dutch wax fabric, which seems African but has its roots in European trade. It’s a kind of trick, an unsettling of cultural authenticity that’s very smart. The gesture of the figure, with one hand holding a golden plate and the other raised, communicates a sense of offering or maybe even demand. Is it about power, justice, or something else entirely? Shonibare sets up an exchange of ideas through his playful work. I see echoes of artists like Kerry James Marshall, who tackles similar themes of identity and representation. Artists, you know, we're all in an ongoing conversation. We inspire one another to question, to play, and to embrace the uncertainty of it all.