Yinka Shonibare CBE RA
Food Man
2021 It's Not Easy Being Green
Yinka Shonibare CBE RA
Medium:
Fiberglass mannequin, dutch wax printed cotton textile, metal, steel, brass, hand painted globe, wood, polyurethane and acrylic paint
Displayed:
Across the UK and Brazil 7 Oct - 10 Nov
Artwork Description:
Food Man depicts a character trying to maintain the precarious balance of the supplies he carries, defying gravity. The choice of fabric print for his clothing is not insignificant: it features various types of food produced on African plantations. The globe that replaces his head represents a map of global temperature trends for the year 2020, with intense red zones symbolising global warming. This work calls into question the sustainability of industrialised food production, the distribution system and waste in a world with a growing population of 7.8 billion. It underlines the importance of sustainable food production to protect future generations and the planet in a world affected by climate change.
Artist's Comment:
My work underlines the importance of sustainable food production to protect future generations and the planet in a world affected by climate change.
Bio:
Yinka Shonibare (b.1962, London), studied Fine Art at Byam Shaw School of Art, London (1989) and received his MFA from Goldsmiths, University of London (1991). His interdisciplinary practice uses citations of Western art history and literature to question the validity of contemporary cultural and national identities within the context of globalisation. Through examining race, class and the construction of cultural identity, his works comment on the tangled interrelationship between Africa and Europe, and their respective economic and political histories.
In November 2022, Shonibare hosted the international launch of Guest Artists Space (G. A. S.) Foundation, a non-profit founded and developed by the artist. The Foundation is dedicated to facilitating cultural exchange through residencies, public programmes and exhibition opportunities for creative practitioners from around the world.
