The work of Yinka Shonibare CBE grapples with race, class, and identity in a post-colonial world, frequently referencing historical events, and renowned Western art and literature to do so. Shonibare (b. 1960, London) is best known for his use of brightly colored Dutch wax fabric — mass-produced in the Netherlands and sold to West African colonies before becoming a symbol of African independence. Showcasing a selection of sculptures, tapestries, and films from the past 25 years, this is the artist’s first major exhibition on the US West Coast. Examining classical sculpture’s whitewashed history and the British Empire’s entanglement with the international slave trade, the exhibition also engages with contemporary issues of social injustice, such as migration, homelessness, and climate change. 

Part of our contemporary art program, the exhibition takes place throughout the Legion of Honor’s indoor and outdoor spaces, in dialogue with the museum’s European art collection and neoclassical architecture.