EXPLORING IDENTITY AND SUSTAINABILITY: YINKA SHONIBARE’S ART AS A CATALYST FOR PROMOTING CONTEMPORARY ART IN NIGERIA

Abstract

This study investigates the sculptural artworks of Yinka Shonibare, a British-Nigerian artist known for his exploration of themes related to colonialism, race, identity, and the complexities of cultural hybridity. The research also seeks to examine and deepen our understandings of his sculptural works, particularly those involving clothing. Some of his outstanding works were taken and analyzed for better understanding. Some artists, authors and scholars whose works or writings could serve as useful references for researching Shonibare’s arts were consulted. These artists and scholars have aided this study by providing firsthand information with a range of
theoretical, historical, and cultural frameworks that help the research to explore the depth and complexity of Yinka Shonibare’s artworks, particularly in relation to post-colonialism, identity, and cultural hybridity. For more on specific exploration of the artist works, Nigerian and African scholars, art critics, and curators, are additional authors who have directly or indirectly engaged with Yinka Shonibare’s artwork or whose work connects to the themes they explore, such as post-colonialism, identity, and the African diaspora. These scholars from Nigeria and Africa at large bring critical perspectives on African art, colonialism, and identity that resonate with the themes in Yinka Shonibare’s artworks. Their literatures and curatorial contributions help to contextualize Shonibare use of African and diaspora symbols, his engagement with post-colonial histories, make his works to be historic and famous.