BALLERINA WITH VIOLIN (GISELE) 2013

This is Yinka Shonibare’s ‘Ballerina with Violin (Gisele)’. Here's a sculpture that dances between tradition and a modern kind of thoughtfulness. You can see the ballerina, poised and elegant, but there's something more there. I wonder what Shonibare was thinking as he made this work? The Dutch wax fabric, a signature of his work, is such a striking feature. It’s a beautiful, vibrant pattern but the colour palette has a more muted quality to it. I like to think about how this challenges our ideas of what it means to be authentic. The globe for a head really stands out too. It makes you think about globalization and how cultures mix and influence each other. I can imagine the artist adding each piece with precision and passion. Like all great artists, Shonibare is in dialogue with those who came before, reimagining their work for our times. This sculpture speaks to art history but with its own unique voice. What do you think it says?