FAKE DEATH PICTURE (THE DEATH OF CHATTERTON, HENRY WALLIS) 2011

Yinka Shonibare's 2011 photograph, *FAKE DEATH PICTURE (THE DEATH OF CHATTERTON, HENRY WALLIS)*, is a reimagining of the iconic 18th-century painting *The Death of Chatterton* by Henry Wallis, which depicts the tragic death of Thomas Chatterton, a poet and forger. Shonibare’s work uses a contemporary figure dressed in vibrant, colorful fabric that references African textile designs, replacing the original’s somber palette and historical narrative with a bold and vibrant new perspective. The piece challenges historical interpretations of race and identity within art, questioning the dominant Western art canon through a distinctly contemporary lens.