"Up close and personal with one of Britain’s most celebrated contemporary artists."
Overview: A private audience with Yinka Shonibare MBE at his private studio in East London, offering guests a rare insight into the creative world of one of Britain’s most celebrated contemporary artists.
Background: Yinka Shonibare MBE was born in London and moved to Lagos, Nigeria at the age of three. He returned to London to study Fine Art at Byam Shaw College of Art (now Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design) and then at Goldsmiths, where he graduated as part of the ‘Young British Artists’ generation along with the likes of Damien Hirst and Gavin Turk. Over the past decade, Yinka has become well-known for his exploration of colonialism and post-colonialism within the contemporary context of globalisation. In particular Yinka’s work investigates the construction of identity, the interrelationship between Africa and Europe and their respective economic and political histories. Having described himself as a ‘post-colonial hybrid', Yinka questions the very meaning of cultural and national definitions in a unique way. Yinka has been nominated for the prestigious Turner Prize, been presented with an MBE, represented Britain at the Venice Biennale, become a Royal Academician and in 2010 his work 'Nelson's Ship in a Bottle' was exhibited on Trafalgar Square's Fourth Plinth, still one of the most memorable and popular pieces of public sculpture to date.
