MATERIAL VI 2019

Yinka Shonibare's *MATERIAL VI* is a swirl of batik fabric, frozen in mid-air, as if a gust of wind suddenly caught it. I can only imagine Shonibare in the studio, coaxing this sculptural form into being; the patterned fabric twisting and turning. With the wax print fabric, Shonibare references cultural identity, colonialism, and globalization. He lets the fabric speak, a language that is both decorative and deeply historical. The colours – yellows, purples, oranges, and blacks – aren't shy, they're loud, almost celebratory, yet the form suggests movement, displacement, perhaps even a sense of being unsettled. It reminds me of El Anatsui’s draping fabric sculptures, but here it's as if the fabric has come alive, dancing to its own rhythm. Artists, you know, we’re always riffing off each other, in a constant conversation. In this piece Shonibare sets the stage for a whole lot of readings. It’s never just one thing, is it? That’s what makes it so good.