Raised in Nigeria and then moving to London in 1980, Shonibare became immersed into the art world. He began exhibiting his art in 1988 exploring themes of colonialism, imperialism, and social mobility. His most notable exhibition being Diary of a Victorian Dandy in 1998 displaying staged images of role reversals between Black and White people in the Victorian era.
Shonibare’s artwork not only comments on historical and modern society but as a black, disabled artist his pieces are now created by a team of assistants and he himself works as a conceptual artist. Before this, however, his works included sculpted public pieces like ‘Nelson’s Ship in a Bottle’ that was displayed in Trafalgar Square in 2010 and then shown outside the Greenwich Maritime Museum where it still stands. The most notable works that he has created that I believe to be a key part of my own project is his re-enacted exhibition of ‘Diary of a Victorian Dandy’.
‘Diary of a Victorian Dandy’
“Shonibare’s ambitious photographic suite Diary of a Victorian Dandy has frequently been considered in relation to the satirical art of the 18th-century painter”
This exhibition presents Shonibare as a Victorian aristocrat, commenting on the highly racist society that was Europe in the Victorian era. The series was meticulously staged, with every action decided and choreographed to create the scene. Yinka Shonibare himself, being the centre of attention looks out of place in the images as the only Anglo-African subject in the image. All others are white and follow the rich, victorian businessman stereotype. This forces his series to comment on the racial stereotypes of the time and being an obviously modern image, framed in this ancient style frame, accentuates this recognition of Britain’s racist history.
This image specifically is intriguing as Shonibare has a monotone facial expression and holds himself in way that seems unbothered by the actions of those around him. In the image, all of the other rich men are admiring him specifically, either laughing at jokes or applauding him. Naturally, the subject of this attention would be happy and basking in this minor triumph for whatever reason, but he seems unfazed by the situation which is interesting when put into the context of Shonibare’s aims. When understanding that the artist wanted to comment on racism in Britain’s history, the monotone and unfazed facial expressions suggest the oppression that those of African nationality felt under British rule. It also establishes that the image is fabricated history and a rich Victorian Dandy would have most definitely been white.