In the early 1960s, American photographer Joel Meyerowitz helped overcome resistance from black-and-white traditionalists to establish colour photography as a form of art. He is renowned for his ability to capture the essence of urban landscapes and human interactions. This summer, Museo Picasso presents Europa, and exhibition based on Meyerowitz’s travels from 1966 to 1967 through England, Wales, Ireland, Scotland, France, Spain, Germany, Turkey, Greece and Italy, but focusing on his extended stay in Málaga.  

Meyerowitz started his journey behind the lens in 1962, working on an advertising project with Robert Frank. During his illustrious career, he published dozens of books and his photographs have appeared in more 350 exhibitions. He received numerous awards and accolades, including the Royal Photographic Society’s Centenary Medal and a double Guggenheim fellowship. 

“The experience of making photographs in Europe changed me and gave me the perspective I needed to see myself, and then, when I returned home, to see America in a different way.”

 

        – Joel Meyerowitz

 

Having left his job in advertising aged 28, Meyerowitz embarked on a year-long road trip that saw him drive 20,000 miles through 10 countries, taking 25,000 shots on the way. The artist settled in Málaga for six months, where he befriended the Escalonas, one of the traditional flamenco families in the city. Meyerowitz took 8,500 photographs in Málaga and captured hours of high-quality sound recordings of live flamenco. This work provides an extraordinary photographic record of Spain during Franco’s dictatorship. Meyerowitz’s time in the Mediterranean city had a lasting impact on his style, and his work redefined how reality can be captured and communicated with a camera. 

Inspired by Robert Frank, Henri Cartier-Bresson and Eugène Atget, Meyerowitz’s skilful use of light and colour infused his photographs with a unique sense of mood and atmosphere, whether capturing the soft glow of dawn over the Seine or the vibrant chaos of a Mediterranean market.  

In his trip around Europe, Joel Meyerowitz captured feature portraits of local people, unique moments captured in everyday street scenes.
Photo: Paris, 1967 © Joel Meyerowitz

Tracing Meyerowitz’s artistic evolution during his time in Europe, this exhibition features vintage and large-format prints in colour and black and white of images depicting local people, unique moments captured in everyday street scenes, urban and natural landscapes, and photographs taken from inside his moving car. Each image is a testament to Meyerowitz’s mastery of his craft. His deep connection to the landscapes he portrays is evidenced by the incisiveness with which he captures their essence.  Meyerowitz’s art is in storytelling. His photographs encapsulate narratives frozen in time, inviting viewers to immerse themselves in the sights, sounds and emotions of each locale.  

Museo Picasso Málaga. C/ San Agustín, 8. 29015 Málaga 
15th June – 15th December 2024 
More information and tickets HERE. 

Author: Lavinia Dickson-Robinson

Opening image: Malaga, 1966 © Joel Meyerowitz. The image was cropped due to formatting restrictions.
First image body text: London, 1966 © Joel Meyerowitz

British soprano Carly Paoli talks to Lisa Marks about her Italian heritage, her love of Judy Garland and her new role as an ambassador for jewellery brand FOPE. 

Carly Paoli is known around the world for captivating audiences with her angelic voice and heartfelt performances. Born and raised in Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, the 35-year-old’s meteoric rise to musical stardom has been marked by her passion and unwavering commitment to her craft. 

She was called “the voice of an angel” by Pope Francis after she sang for the Pontiff during his Jubilee year at the Vatican, and has performed with many contemporary greats including Andrea Bocelli, Elaine Paige, Aled Jones and Alfie Boe. 

 But mention Judy Garland and her eyes light up. In 2020, she performed a tribute to the Hollywood legend as part of BBC Radio’s 2 iconic Sunday Night is Music Night series at the London Palladium. The Wizard of Oz star was a huge inspiration to young Carly and this set her on the road to show business. 

“I became captivated with Judy through the MGM Hollywood musicals. Mum introduced me to the film Meet Me in St. Louis when I was around five or six,” she recalls. “It’s still my absolute favourite. Judy was one of those iconic singers who was able to tell a story through song, and whatever she sang she seemed to have an ability to make it her own. She put her heart and soul into everything she did.” 

“Growing up, music was always part of the household and it was something that was meant for sharing. It was a joy.”

                  – Carly Paoli

Carly’s Anglo-Italian mother, Tina, her father, Paul, and her wider family in Puglia were also supportive during her early career and have played a huge role in Carly’s development as a performer. She joined the Stagecoach Theatre Arts drama, music and dance school in Southwell, near her home in Mansfield, where a vocal coach noticed her natural talent. She was advised to take private singing lessons, and after a few years at Tring Park School in Hertfordshire, Carly landed a scholarship to the Royal Northern College of Music. But while all her training was in Britain, her dual heritage loomed large through her childhood. 

 Carly says: “I was sort of in two worlds. I was living in Mansfield but would spend my summers in Italy. I was 14 when my grandfather took me to a fiesta. It was a three-day festival that’s also a religious occasion, and I performed Ava Maria a capella in church for the whole community. It was just something I did, and I understand now how fantastic it was as a young artist to be able to have that experience.” It was this song that she performed for Pope Francis in 2016 to such great acclaim.  

Carly Paoli performing with theatrical director and pianist Jae Alexander at the Crazy Coqs cabaret in Soho, London, April 2024.

Having been immersed in music from such a tender age herself, Carly is keen for younger generations to find classical music. “For me, it’s about finding ways to make it more accessible and relatable,” she says. “It’s lovely when you can translate a piece of Italian music into English because all of a sudden people think, ‘I can hear that it’s passionate, but now I know why it’s passionate.’” 
 
The soprano, who is now based in Wiltshire, says that one of her goals is to move people with song. She visits schools to perform and talk about her music and is often touched by the reaction from children to her voice. “I remember one boy in particular who was autistic. He had a conversation with me afterwards about how he was going to get his grandfather to laminate my autograph,” she says. “It was really special. The teachers later told me he doesn’t talk to people, especially strangers.”

The Movie Collection features 13 songs, chosen by Carly from some of her favourite movies plus abonus song from musical theatre.

Thrillingly, Carly was recently announced as an ambassador for the Italian jewellery brand FOPE. “I love the ethos of the brand, and that it was founded in 1929 and still owned by the same family,” says Carly. “FOPE celebrates great Italian jewellery craftsmanship. They built upon that foundation to create what are considered pieces of art that are still relevant to today. But they’ve maintained their original traditions. That resonates with me as an artist because that’s something I try to do, much like we were discussing earlier about making classical music more accessible.” 

Carly has released five albums to date, her most recent, The Movie Collection, came out last year. With so much experience already under her belt the singer says she wants to write more.

“Some of my most rewarding moments have been seeing my words and my thoughts brought to life in song — and being able to perform them is the icing on the cake.”

                       – Carly Paoli

A busy remainder of the year awaits. She is performing at a few events connected to the 80^th anniversary of D-Day in June, has upcoming shows with the fabulous Fulltone Orchestra, Aled Jones and Gareth Dafydd Morris, and is set to support tenor Boe on his UK tour.  

With such a busy life, there’s barely a moment to take a breath but Carly is determined to find time to visit her home in Italy and catch up with family — and is set to perform at the famous basilica in historic Galatina near Puglia. It will be a joyful experience because the region is her “happy place”.  

“Puglia has always been where I spend my downtime, and there are people I know there who have been my friends since childhood. The food is fantastic, there’s a real community spirit and a lovely rhythm of life,” she says. “I’m proud of my Italian heritage, but I’m equally proud of my British roots, as well as coming from Mansfield.” 

Opening image: Carly Paoli wears FOPE Eka gold Flex’it chokers, Panorama You ring and Flex’it gold bracelets with diamonds. Barbour waistcoat and shirt.
First image in an interview: Carly wears Fope Super Eka diamond earrings and necklace, Panorama Flex’it white gold and diamond ring, and Panorama and Super Eka diamond bracelets. Huishan Zhang dusty pink gown.
Last image in interview: Carly Paoli wears FOPE Eka gold Flex’it chokers, Panorama You ring and Flex’it gold bracelets with diamonds. Barbour waistcoat and shirt. Holland Cooper trousers. House of Bruar boots.
Photographer: Catherine Harbour. Stylist: Karl Willett.

Contemporary hyperrealist artist Adam Attew grew up in the Surrey Hills, known by the Victorians as “Little Switzerland” for its resemblance to the landscapes of the lower regions of the Alpine country and the purity of its air. He started to paint as early as he started to ski, at the age of two. He then combined both – mountains and canvases – in the late 1990s.

Attew spoke to our Editor-in-Chief, Julia Pasarón at the Hotel Grace La Margna in St. Moritz, where he was staying as Inaugural Artist in Residence, supporting the Swiss branch of the global non-profit organisation, Protect Our Winters.

He has been drawn to this part of the world – both in winter and summer – since he was a small child. Over the years, Attew saw first-hand the effect of global warming in these majestic mountains. “I’ve been coming to the Alps since the ‘70s,” he says. “I remember skiing on the glaciers of Chamonix, which used to cover an area much larger than they do now.” Attew is right. Global warming is having a catastrophic effect on the Alpine glaciers. Research shows that in the 20^th century, the temperature in the Alps has risen by 2°C, at a rate of 0.5°C per decade since the 1980s. The consequences are disastrous, not only for the glaciers themselves but also for the species that have made these mountains their home. To give you an idea, for every increase of half a degree, wildlife must move 100m higher to find a cooler temperature.

The long, hot and dry summers of the late 1990s and the early 2000s saw Les Bossons (Mont-Blanc), one of the lowest-hanging glaciers in Europe, lose 20m in length and volume. Photo © Simo Räsänen.

Attew’s interest in painting mountain landscapes turned to the Alps in the early 2000s, exploring oils as the medium to represent them. “I had always been a little scared of oils but I soon fell in love with them, with their malleability and the endless possibilities they give to the artist,” he shares. Now, he uses nothing else.

For a long time, he had been toying with the idea of working with a charity or non-profit organisation. His environmental consciousness and love for the mountains drove him to approach Protect Our Winters Switzerland (POW). It focuses on four main fronts: on one side, mobility and nutrition (two of the sectors responsible for the highest emissions of CO₂); and on the other, advocacy and education. At the heart of POW, there is a group of outdoor enthusiasts committed to protecting the precious winters that define the region’s allure. “After decades of enjoying them, I wanted to give something back to the Alps,” Attew says.

Adam Attew working on Last light on Kirchenkogel during his time at Grace La Margna. Oil on canvas. © Adam Attew.

At Grace La Margna, he made the main lounge (The Living Room) his atelier, which gave him the opportunity to talk to guests and spread the POW message. “I was surprised by the interest people have been showing,” Attew admits. “Some guests have come to speak to me more than once, genuinely interested, and are very pleased that part of the money they spend when purchasing one of my paintings is donated to POW.”

Climate change in the Alps doesn’t only affect the wildlife or the length of the ski season, but also the safety of the mountains. Attew warns, “The risk of avalanches is now so acute, that you don’t dare to go off-piste anywhere, unless it’s with someone who knows that specific location like the back of their hand.”

The fragility of this environment acts as further encouragement for Attew to capture its beauty. “It is getting harder and harder to find the pristine landscapes I like to paint,” he says. “For example, trees covered in snow; the chances to catch them get slimmer every year.”

“The hope is that, together with an appreciation of my paintings and of the beauty of the landscapes they feature, the viewer will feel the desire to protect them.”

             – Adam Attew

Looking at his hyperrealist depictions of snow-capped peaks against intense blue skies, I understand why guests at the hotel engaged so much with him. Attew’s paintings literally stop you in your tracks, they are that impactful. His use of deep colours, contrasting textures and abstract contours result in spellbinding pieces of art that go far beyond what a camera could convey.

Having the chance to work and show his art at Grace La Margna has done wonders for POW’s exposure. “Most people I have spoken to here hadn’t heard of the organisation before,” Attew explains, “so I am very glad to be able to help.”

Credit is due to the hotel too. General Manager, David Frei, says, “Adam Attew’s art captures the beauty of the mountains that surround us very vividly; so, we knew that his presence at the hotel would engage our guests. We are also thrilled that through this partnership we can work with POW Switzerland to promote the great work it is doing.

“I feel motivated by the response I have seen during my time as artist in residence here at Grace La Margna.”

                      – Adam Attew

Attew is committed to his role as an agent for positive change. “I want to do more to help raise funds and awareness for POW,” he comments with conviction. “It’s not just the painting that I love, but also meeting so many people who appreciate the mountains.”

It has been enlightening to speak to Attew and learn about this innovative collaboration that will hopefully set a precedent for future initiatives at the intersection of art, hospitality and environmental responsibility. 

www.adamattew.com
www.protectourwinters.ch
www.gracehotels.com

Opening image: Adam Attew, She Devil, 2020. Oil on canvas. © Adam Attew
Last image: Adam Attew, Magic in Leogang, 2019. Oil on canvas. © Adam Attew

Tate Modern, in collaboration with Lenbachhaus Munich, has curated an exhibition that stands as a true testament to The Blue Rider (Der Blaue Reiter), a movement key to the development of German expression. Revolving around Wassily Kandinsky and Gabriele Münter, this group of artists also encouraged, nurtured, and expanded the movement of abstract painting in modern art throughout the 20th century.

The Blue Rider intended to create a modern spiritual form of art, hoping for it to surpass the constraints of representation. They published their ground-breaking Almanac in 1912, edited by Kandinsky and Marc, and stage key exhibitions in 1911 and 1912. They wanted to bring together artists from all parts of the world, proclaiming that “Art knows no borders of nations, only humanity.”

Visitors to the exhibition will be greeted by a group of vibrant portraits and self-portraits from pre-First World War Munich, where Kandinsky and Münter resided, a time of hustle and bustle for artistic lovers, that allowed for a variety of cultures to amalgamate.

Gabriele Münter’s Portrait of Marianne von Werefkin and Listening (Portrait of Jawlensky), both from 1909. Lenbachhaus Munich, Donation of Gabriele Münter, 1957 © DACS 2023.

Münter’s innovative style can be appreciated through paintings such as Listening (Portrait of Jawlensky), 1909. She stood out by her honest depiction of humanity, her works always infused with a certain sense of intimacy. The simplicity of her paintings is capitalised by the use of energetic colour. With this technique, the artist is encouraging viewers to appreciate an image at face value, suggesting not all art must have a definite meaning. Erma Bossi’s evocative Circus, 1909 is an an action-filled scene bursting with colour.

Kandinsky too is in favour of vibrant colours as conveyors of emotion, such as in his painting Johannisstrasse from a window of the Griesbrau. There is an ambiguity behind his work that encourages individuals to delve more introspectively into their own psyche, discovering thoughts from beyond.

In Murnau Farmer’s wife with children, Münter tactfully chooses an alternative colour palette to depict an image of a distressed mother with her children.

Münter and Kandinsky’s art reflecting their spell in Munich is contrasted to a slower time in Murnau, a rural town where they resided in 1909. They fell in love with the idyllic landscape and began to collect Barvarian folk art. It is here that they embarked onto a new approach in both abstract and figurative painting, represented in the show by works such as Munter’s Murnau Farmer’s wife with children. The bright pink and yellow colours used on the younger child gives her almost an angelic look, emphasising her innocence. As opposed to the mother with sunken cheeks and dark colours. The middle child does not have a look of naivety but a look of knowing, as if she is aware of her mother’s distress.

Meanwhile, other artists such as Franz Marc explored the natural world, with works such as Tiger and Cows, Yellow-Red-Green, both from 1912.

Franz Marc’s, Cows, Red, Green, Yellow, 1911, Lenbachhaus Munich; and Tiger, 1912. Lenbachhaus Munich, Donation of the Bernhard and Elly Koehler Foundation,1965.

Other rooms in the exhibition allow visitors to share the fascination of modernism with colour, sound and light through very different works, such as Kandinsky’s Impression III (Concert), 1911, derived from his interest in synaesthesia; and Franz Marc’s 1911 Deer in the snow II, which is experienced optically whilst surveying the colour theory.

The show finishes by explaining how The Blue Rider group ensured they would leave a mark in history, through manifestos, editorials, exhibitions and fostering relationships with museums and galleries.

Although the First World War led the group to disperse, it does not extinguish their significant impact on abstract art, expressionism, and modernism.

Expressionists: Kandinsky, Münter and the Blue Rider
Tate Modern, London
25 April – 20 October 2024
Book your tickets HERE.

Words: Cristina Mouchantaf

Opening image: Wassily Kandinsky, Cossacks, 1910-1. Tate, Presented by Mrs Hazel McKinley 1938. Photo © Tate (Madeleine Buddo).
Gabriele Münter, Murnau Farmer’s Wife with Children, 1909–1910. Lenbachhaus Munich, Donation of Gabriele Münter, 1957 © DACS 2024.

In a sense, it was a quieter year for Patek Philippe, but that does not mean the watches presented were not superlative. Along with a Rare Handcrafts Exhibition at their Geneva boutique and the integration of the crafts into the watches released at Watches & Wonders, this was a year aimed more at the collector and cognoscenti, with new versions of well-loved classic models, a celebration of their ladies’ line, and a re-generation of a much-loved mid-20th century design.

As part of the Rare Handcrafts theme, there was an exhibition at the main Geneva boutique which demonstrated the extent of artistic endeavours that the company’s artisans can realise. A number of different metiers d’art were on display, from guilloché to enamelling, gem-setting and engraving.

One of the stars of the Rare Handcrafts Exhibition, a Patek Philippe Calatrava metiers d’art with a wood marquetry image of Morning on the Beach.

Out of all of the watches shown, my favourite was the Calatrava ref. 5089G Morning on the Beach, an innovative juxtaposition of a centuries-old art form and a modern pictorial setting, which also represents a different aesthetic by Patek Philippe. Marquetry is the painstaking use of coloured wood varieties, taking into account the vein and how they can cut, assemble, glue and place each tiny piece of veneer for use in the composition. In this instance, the grain of the wood, used horizontally, depicted the waves in the water; the grain, used vertically, reflects the upright surfer as he walks across the beach.

Traditionally used in furniture, its use in watchmaking is fairly recent and pioneered by Patek Philippe. In this instance, 100 veneer parts and 75 inlays comprising 23 species of coloured wood, show a surfer on his way to the waves. The case is white gold with a hinged back cover that opens to the brand’s ultra-thin automatic calibre 240. If I could have only had one watch to take home with me this year, then this would have been it. As a former resident of the city, it reminded me of mornings in Los Angeles.  A limited edition of 10 pieces and POA.

Left, Patek Philippe advert for the new Ellipse circa 1971, showing the intended customer profile. Right, the new ref. 5738R Ellipse.

The new rose gold Ellipse has all the hallmarks of the late 1960s icon, with all the benefits of a new movement and re-worked bracelet. The Ellipse was introduced in 1968, with the references 3546 and 3548, as the company needed a new watch design that was both immediately recognisable as a Patek and unisex in its appeal. Something that would be distinguishable from any other watch. The Ellipse became the symbol of 1970s jet set international chic. It featured in most of the company’s advertising from the late 1960s through the early 1980s, becoming a success in the process. In total, over the years, the number of Ellipse references – 65 in total – even eclipses the number for the Calatrava.

The contemporary shape of the watch owes more to the Jumbo Ellipse ref. 3605 introduced in 1971 with an automatic calibre 28-2555C. The new ref. 5738R has the same oversized rectangular round case shape with an intricate bracelet in the same metal. Powered by the modern automatic calibre 240, it is every part the modernised successor to the quintessential 1970s classic.

Subtle improvements have been made to the bracelet, where 300 of the 383 links are polished and assembled by hand. Reminiscent of the traditional Frères examples of the past, it adds flexibility and ergonomics to how the watch sits on the wrist. With all gold case and bracelet watches making a marked return, the modern Ellipse is as avant-garde and modern today as it has always been.

The 25th Anniversary Patek Philippe Twenty~4 with the purple concentric wave pattern dial and two-tier case lined by two rows of diamonds.

Of equal standing is the Patek Philippe Twenty~4 collection, introduced in 1999, which is celebrating its 25th anniversary. The new version of the quartz cuff-style model features a highly refined dial embossed with a concentric wave pattern, coated with successive layers of a translucent purple lacquer, which, once polished, creates a beautiful depth effect. The original shape of the rectangular two-tier case is highlighted by two rows of 17 brilliant-cut diamonds set on either side of the dial.

New Patek Philippe Grand Complications. From left to right, Perpetual Calendar ref. 5236P, Alarm Travel Time ref. 5520R and Rare Handcrafts Retrograde Perpetual Calendar ref. 5160R.

For the purist collectors, there were three stunning versions of Patek Philippe grand complications; that sweet spot that the Geneva Maison knows so well.  First, a peerless new Perpetual Calendar, ref. 5236P. Initially introduced four years ago with a blue dial/white gold case combination, the reference is now clad in platinum with a rose-gold gilt salmon pink dial. Second, the quintessential travel watch, the Alarm Travel Time ref. 5520R, which now comes in a two-tone version with a rose gold case featuring four white gold pusher tubes and a sunburst grey dial. Third, and part of the Rare Handcrafts work, a Retrograde Perpetual Calendar ref. 5160R with a silvery opaline dial, in an Officer’s-style case with a hinged cover and hand-engraved decoration throughout, inspired by a pocket watch from the Patek Philippe Museum.

The two new complicated watches released this year, the ref. 5330G World Time (left) and the ref. 5396 Annual Calendar (right).

Patek Philippe continued their tradition with the World Time complication (patented ref. 5330G). Originally released as a limited edition for the Patek Philippe grand exhibition Watch Art held in Tokyo in June 2023, the new calibre is now part of the regular collection and ingeniously has a date display synchronized with local time – the one indicated by the centre hands on the dial. Also in the complications category, Patek Philippe released a sublime new version of the ref. 5396 Annual Calendar in white gold, featuring a sunburst blue dial with black-gradient rim, discreetly enhanced by the brilliance of twelve baguette diamond hour-markers.

The two new Aquanaut watches, the ref. 5164G Travel Time (left) and the ref. 5268G Rare Handcrafts gem-set Aquanaut Luce (right).

Finally, the other collections with new references were the Aquanaut and Nautilus. In the former, there were three new iterations, a white gold opaline blue-dialled ref. 5164 Travel Time, a Travel Time ref. 5269 in a rose gold case, featuring a similar hue on its dial, but with a quartz movement, and an Haute Joaillerie white gold Luce model, ref. 5268G, that was part of the Rare Handcrafts Exhibition. The Nautilus ref. 5980G, a self-winding flyback chronograph, comes in a white gold version, also with an opaline blue dial.

Patek Philippe’s Rare Handcrafts exhibition is coming to London from 7th – 16th June at the Patek Philippe Bond Street salon.

Words: Dr Andrew Hildreth

Opening image: detail of the dial for the Calatrava ref. 5089G Morning on the Beach.

British-Nigerian artist Yinka Shonibare has returned to the Serpentine with his first solo exhibition in London in 20 years.

Titled Suspended States, the show looks to explore the many repercussions of colonization, Europe’s imperial history and subsequent endeavours for peace. The compelling artworks delve into key themes such as the enduring legacies of colonialism, spaces of refuge and sanctuary.

Besides pictorial quilts and woodcuts and installations, Suspended States include two new large-scale artworks, Sanctuary City and War Library.

The Turner-prize nominee artist, who first exhibited at Serpentine South in 1992, is aware that the layered and political nature of his work has only become more prescient over time. “My work has always been about crossing the boundaries; geographically, visually, historically and conceptually. Suspended States addresses the suspension of boundaries, whether psychological, physical or geographical – all boundaries of nationhood are in a state of suspense,” says Shonibare.

“My work has always been about crossing the boundaries; geographically, visually, historically and conceptually.”

– Yinka Shonibare

Central to the exhibition is an installation called Sanctuary City, made up of miniature buildings that represent places of refuge for those in society who are persecuted; and also War Library, which consists of 5,000 books, including peace treaties, that have been bound in batik, a Dutch wax print fabric for which the artist is known. He discovered it at Brixton market in South London, when he was a student.

Fans of Shonibare will be reminded of his 2014 installation, The British Library, that featured 6,328 hardback books, each covered in the same colourful material. The 61-year-old, who was awarded a CBE in 2019, uses the wax print as a way to highlight the complex relationship between Africa and Europe.  The designs hail from Indonesia but were mass-produced by the Dutch and sold to British colonies in West Africa, where they were then referred to as ‘African print’.

Two works from Yinka Shonibare’s Decolonised Structures: Frere, 2022 and Roberts, 2022. Both fibreglass sculptures, hand-painted with Dutch wax pattern and wooden plinth.

In another of his major artworks Decolonised Structures, Shonibareuses his signature batik on small-scale replicas of London’s large public sculptures. “This is an exhibition in which Western iconography is reimagined and interrogated,” he explains, “at a moment in history when nationalism, projectionism and hostility towards foreigners is on the rise.”

Reconstructing colonial figures such as Robert Clive and Sir Charles James Napier, he lays bare the political realities that gave rise to them and demonstrates the effect of their presence in contemporary public spaces. He says of its inception: “You know the [Edward] Colston statue that came down in Bristol? Well, Decolonised Structures addresses that; it’s a series of statues that we see around London, including Queen Victoria and Sir Winston Churchill. Many of those figures were involved in British colonialism and we understand the trauma of that. But at the same time, what I’ve done is that I have kind of corrected them and made everything more beautiful.”

“This is an exhibition in which Western iconography is reimagined and interrogated…”

–  Yinka Shonibare

The timing of the work could not be more perfect. Shonibare says: “Like a lot of my work, this is linked to the zeitgeist. We’ve got culture wars going on, a refugee crisis, a homeless crisis and war in the Ukraine. But culture wars are based on people putting down artificial boundaries. The point of this show is to say that this happened and this is where we are now. We are all linked.”

The exhibition also shines a light on Shonibare’s Guest Project experimental space in Hackney, and the Guest Artist Space (G.A.S.) Foundation, which he launched in Nigeria five years ago. While his foundation is head-quartered in London, he returns to Nigeria every November for the Lagos Art Fair, known as Art X Lagos. 

Suspended States
12th April – 1st September 2024
Serpentine South Gallery
Kensington Gardens, London W2 3XA
More details HERE.

Words: Lisa Marks

Leading photo: Yinka Shonibare CBE, Decolonised Structures, 2022-23. Fibreglass sculptures, hand-painted with Dutch wax pattern, gold leaf and wooden plinths. Commissioned by Sharjah Art Foundation. Courtesy of the artist and Goodman Gallery, Cape Town, Johannesburg, London and New York, James Cohan Gallery, New York and Stephen Friedman Gallery, London and New York. Photo by Stephen White & Co. © Yinka Shonibare CBE.

From Decolonised Structures: Frere and Roberts commissioned by Sharjah Art Foundation. Courtesy of the artist and Goodman Gallery, Cape Town, Johannesburg, London and New York, James Cohan Gallery, New York and Stephen Friedman Gallery, London and New York. Photo by Stephen White & Co. © Yinka Shonibare CBE.

From Decolonised Structures: Queen Victoria, 2022. Fibreglass sculpture, hand-painted with Dutch wax pattern and wooden plinth, 139 x 75 x 57 cm. Commissioned by Sharjah Art Foundation. Courtesy of the artist and Goodman Gallery, Cape Town, Johannesburg, London and New York, James Cohan Gallery, New York and Stephen Friedman Gallery, London and New York. Photo by Stephen White & Co. © Yinka Shonibare CBE