Yinka Shonibare (review)

Yinka Shonibare rlem, New York muary 2002 Yi nka Shoni bar e's Lat est exhi bi t i on at t he St udio Museum in Harlem, NY, i s an i mpr essi ve sur vey of t he London based Nigerian art ist most t hought pr ovoki ng and di st ur bi ng works. Curat ed by TheLma Gol den, t he show f eat ures t welve semi nal pieces: f rom his f igurat ive scul pt ural work t o his much-cel ebrat ed phot ogr aphic series, Diary of a Vict orian Dandy. The scul pt ures have a quiet , t hough commandi ng resonance t hat seem t o occupy a space bet ween ambival ence and di scont ent . On t he surf ace lies t he obvi ous vi sual pun: t he el egant Vict orian f igure, respl endent in exot ic, hybrid half European/ hal f Af rican garment s. Under t he sur f ace, however, resides a much more sear i ng and probl emat ic i nqui r y i nt o t he cont radict ions of cult ure. The scul pt ures consi st of headl ess, life size f igurat ive f ormat i ons made of f iber gl ass. Each f igure i s dressed in met icul ousl y craf t ed period garment s, r emi ni scent of t he Vi ct or i an era. However, t he garment s are f ashi oned wit h what i s of t en regarded as t r adi t i onal Af rican bat ik print f abrics. Shoni bar e playf ully mocks essent i al i st not i ons of bl ackness t hr ough t he use of a f abric of t en worn by cont emporary blacks as an Af rocent ric cel ebrat ion of racial aut hent icit y. The cr i t i que resides i n t he Indonesi an/ Dut ch or i gi ns of t he f abric and it s event ual appr opr i at ion and popul arit y wi t hi n black cult ure as a symbol of race pride and post col oni al redempt ion. The most successf ul of t he scul pt ures was The Swing (Aft er Fragonard), 2001. Inspi r ed by t he 1767 pai nt i ng ent it led The Swing by Jean-Honor e Fragonard, Shoni bar e's scul pt ur al i nst al l at i on depict s a headl ess mannequin t hat is suspended f rom t he gallery ceil ing, sw ayi ng back and f ort h f rom a makeshif t t ree sw i ng. Like his ot her scul pt ures, t he daint y f emale f igure i s clad in t he art ist 's si gnat ur e hybrid gar ment s. The f i gur e's hyper f emininit y, l avish cl ot hi ng and gracef ul gest ures are met i cul ously rendered. Above t he f igure i s a realist ic t ree-like f orm t hat is covered i n copi ous amount s of ivy. Beneat h t he f igure, t he ivy drapes down f rom t he sw i ng t o t he gallery f loor. Al l of Shoni bar e's i mages push t he boundar ies of t ast e. Their campy, over - t he- t op excesses and kit schy aest het ics meld his obvi ousl y sophi st i cat ed wit , wit h i nsi ght f ul and of t en unset t l i ng soci al comment ary. The scul pt ur es mi ne cont ent i ous i ssues rel at ed t o sel f -f ashi oni ng and ident it y const r uct i on. They explore t he very nat ure of f ashi on as a...