Yinka Shonibare

Since I’m still feeling under the weather (I’ve had that nasty bug) I thought I’d post a link to an article by one of my favourite artists Yinka Shonibare. Shonibare is an artist who I regularly turned to in my MA studies. He does fascinating works that question tradition and identity. 

Yinka Shonibare Scramble for Africa 2003 (image from Guardian)

The Age of Enlightenment - Antoine Lavoisier, 2008 (image from http://www.jamescohan.com)

He’s in today’s Guardian’s regular feature “What I see in the Mirror”. As someone who also has physical limitations I find him a bit inspirational. I like a balance between cerebral and 'superficial' though, makeup (especially a red lipstick) etc just makes me feel a bit better.

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“What I see in the mirror: Yinka Shonibare

I have a physical disability so, as a result, I don't focus too much on what I see in the mirror. I am not overly obsessed, because I know that I am not going to be taking Naomi Campbell's job any time soon. I focus more on the internal – cerebral attributes. When I was 18, I contracted transverse myelitis, which is inflammation of the spinal cord, and was left with complete paralysis. Before the illness, I was more cerebral anyway – as a teenager, I went for solitary walks and wrote poetry – so I guess it didn't have the devastating effect on me that it might have had on someone who was more body-conscious.”

Read the full article HERE.

T.