IT IS, in some ways, the ultimate accolade. Put up a piece of public art in London and if the cabbies like it, you know you've struck gold. Yinka Shonibare has tapped this seam. His Nelson's Ship in a Bottle, which sat on the Fourth Plinth in Trafalgar Square from 2010 to 2012 before moving to a permanent home outside the National Maritime Museum, remains one of the most loved of the temporary exhibits. It's a taxi driver favourite, he tells me when we meet at his studio in a former warehouse in Hackney.
"And then they'll say, so, how did you do it then? And I'll say to them, I'd have to kill you if I told you." He laughs. He thinks people love the sculpture - a huge glass bottle containing a detailed replica of Nelson's flagship HMS Victory, with sails made from Shonibare's signature Dutch wax fabric - because "there's a playful side to it".
"Of course it's political. But they enjoy it and they want to talk about it." This marriage, of the playful and the political, has characterised British-Nigerian artist Shonibare's work since his early days at Goldsmiths in the Nineties (he resists being lumped in with the Young British Artists).
It will be in evidence again this month when his major show opens at the Serpentine Gallery. It's his first in a London public institution in nearly 20 years and explores themes that have long concerned him-the complex legacies of colonial power, migration, the environment and how they interweave. The Standard's beautiful cover today has been designed exclusively by Shonibare to mark the upcoming show and features a Rameron Pigeon, a now endangered bird once common across much of eastern and southern Africa. The continent disproportionately bears the brunt of climate change.
Denne historien er fra April 02, 2024-utgaven av Evening Standard.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent ? Logg på
Denne historien er fra April 02, 2024-utgaven av Evening Standard.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
Only £65k a month to live like Boy George
The Karma Chameleon singer listed his house for £17m in 2022, turning down offers. Now, he's looking for a tenant
Welcome to London, unicorn capital of Europe
We're flying far ahead of anywhere outside US for tech investment
Arteta's Arsenal evolution The next phase
Malik Ouzia and Simon Collings assess how the Spaniard will try to bring down Man City after he signs up for another three years with the title in his sights
Title fight catches fire after Gunners embrace dark side
Arsenal-City clashes take on a welcome edge of animosity
Whack the hippy gong-boho's back
It happened in Paris one grey February day. Sienna Miller was in an oversized, black leather jacket, lace-trimmed silk slip and clumpy great wedges.
There's a Starlink waiting in the sky... 7,000 in fact.Can Elon Musk stop them crashing to Earth?
As he was preparing his fields for seeding this year, Barry Sawchuk came across a giant slab of space debris. It had come from a spacecraft belonging to Elon Musk’s company, SpaceX.
'Politicians are only into power-mongering, corruption and cronyism'
We speak to alt revolutionary DEEPAK CHOPRA about biomarkers, his digital twin and his work to save humanity from disease
I've been waiting for a production of Godotthis brilliant all my life
Ben Whishaw and Lucian Msamati bring a potent, tragicomic chemistry to James Macdonald’s rich revival of Samuel Beckett’s challenging play.
Trust me, the Ritz is London's bestrestaurant
To whom we turn in moments of gloom and glory can be instructive, a filter of our truest friends. I've fallen out with the Ritz a couple of times, including once after a visit to the bar which didn’t warrant a review (“But you said it was lovely!” they said.
'Healing is a dirty word'
After four traumatic years, FKA twigs is back with a new album -and a thrilling metamorphosis
