THE AMERICAN LIBRARY COLLECTION (DESIGNERS) 2018

Yinka Shonibare's "The American Library Collection (Designers)" presents a striking visual, with shelves filled with books covered in vibrant, patterned textiles. These textiles, often referred to as "African wax prints," immediately capture our attention with their bold colours and geometric designs. This creates an initial sense of visual harmony. However, the structure itself introduces a layer of complexity. The books, uniform in size and shape, are simultaneously familiar and alien. This destabilization of the familiar extends to the very notion of a library, traditionally a space for knowledge and learning. Shonibare's choice of textiles is pivotal. These fabrics, though commonly associated with Africa, have a complex history rooted in Dutch colonialism and Indonesian batik techniques. By covering the books with these fabrics, Shonibare challenges fixed notions of cultural identity and authenticity. The textiles themselves become signs, imbued with multiple layers of meaning that destabilize established categories of "African" versus "European." This interplay between form and material, between the familiar and the foreign, encourages us to question the structures through which we understand the world.