MATERIAL II 2018

Curator: Here we have "MATERIAL II" by Yinka Shonibare, created in 2018. It's a vibrant, mixed-media sculpture. What's your first reaction? Editor: It's wonderfully unsettling! It looks like a freeze-frame of a flag caught mid-flutter, or perhaps some other draped textile defying gravity. The colors practically vibrate! Curator: Exactly! That sense of suspended motion is key. Shonibare often uses Dutch wax fabric, though the patterns themselves were actually inspired by Indonesian batiks mass-produced by the British, eventually becoming popular in West Africa. Think about the layering of cultures and commodification there. Editor: The choice of "African" fabric made in Europe speaks volumes. I can't help but think of global trade routes and the tangled webs of colonialism. Beyond the finished object, I am very interested in the means through which these works were crafted: I can imagine a globalized network of suppliers involved in fabricating this seemingly simple sculpture. Curator: You're right, it's an art of skillful construction – each form impeccably crafted. It dances between abstraction and something recognizable. Editor: The patterns almost become a language in themselves. They certainly disrupt any sense of fixed identity, especially regarding notions of "authenticity." I also find myself focusing on the support system for these objects: the material choices, the types of tools available. In these situations I find these concerns much more interesting than authorial intent. Curator: I agree the tensions and the dialogues are fascinating. Does it make you think of the possibilities of joy and chaos, like fabric caught in a strong wind? Editor: Definitely chaotic – maybe even rebellious, refusing to be neatly categorized or pinned down. Though thinking about it, what does "material rebellion" really mean when everything is eventually bound to labor and capital? Curator: Ultimately it is something the viewer has to reckon with on their own terms – its dynamism and color are an invitation to delve into something much deeper and stranger. Editor: Precisely. "MATERIAL II" offers us a vibrant lens to reconsider not only what we see, but how and from where.