DESIGN: Yinka Shonibare CBE-Windy Chair
One of the most prolific artists of his generation, Yinka Shonibare CBE has described himself as a post-colonial hybrid, and his work in painting, sculpture, photography, film, and performance utilizes unexpected combinations of pattern and form to examine race, class, migration, and identity in a globalized world. In 2013, Shonibare first started working with fiberglass in a large-scale format beginning with the first generation of “Wind Sculpture I-VII”.
By Efi Michalarou
Photo: Carpenters Workshop Gallery Archive
Carpenters Workshop Gallery presents one of the newest iterations of Yinka Shonibare’s CBE, “Windy Chair”. Originally commissioned by Carpenters Workshop Gallery in 2014 for a special booth at Design Miami/ Basel curated by Jerome Sans, Windy Chair is a limited-edition series – each piece being unique in their Dutch-wax inspired patterns. The artwork is similar to Shonibare’s “Wind Sculptures” series which reimagines that traditional notion of sculpture by utilising materials such as fibreglass and bronze to depict billowing fabric caught in the wind. “Windy Chair” takes on the paradoxical task of manifesting the invisible. We cannot see the wind around us, but its effects are evident throughout nature and the modern world. Shonibare skilfully creates the illusion of the dynamic movement of a piece of fabric caught in a gust of wind despite the artwork being crafted from weighty aluminium and steel. By evoking this illusion, the sculptures symbolise the fluidity and adaptability of human experience in an increasingly interconnected world. The surface of the work is populated with colorful and playful patterns, inspired by Dutch-wax fabric. The artwork reflects an innovative approach to contemporary design and fabrication, achieving remarkable energy and balance in a gravity-defying form. Shonibare uses Western art history and literature to explore contemporary culture and national identities. His work explores issues of race and class through the media of painting, sculpture, photography, and film. Yinka Shonibare CBE was a Turner Prize nominee in 2004 and was also awarded the decoration of Commander of the Order of the British Empire, or CBE in 2019.
Photo: Yinka Shonibare CBE, Windy Chair, 2014, Hand Painted Aluminium, Stainless Steel, Resin, Available with different pattern, Dimensions 167.4 x 177.3 x 189.4 cm / 65.88 x 69.75 x 74.63 in, Weight: 260-300 kg / 572-660 lbs, © Yinka Shonibare CBE, Courtesy the artist and Carpenters Workshop Gallery
Info: Carpenters Workshop Gallery, Ladbroke Hall, 79 Barlby Road, London, United Kingdom, Duration: 16/5-22/9/2024, Days & Hours: Tue-Fri 10:00-18:00, Sat 11:00-17:00, https://carpentersworkshopgallery.com/
