Bronze Textile II, 2026

Bronze Textile II renders the movement of fabric in bronze. Creating a striking juxtaposition between the heaviness of bronze and the weightlessness of fabric in the wind. The bronze surface is hand-painted with Dutch wax patterns, referencing a layered colonial history; though associated with African identity today, these textiles originated in Indonesia before Dutch companies mass-produced them in the nineteenth century and found a market in West Africa. The series grew out of Shonibare’s Nelson’s Ship in a Bottle (2010), which recreated Nelson’s flagship with sails in Dutch wax print. Reflecting on wind
as a force of displacement and diaspora, he developed a series of abstract sculptural forms. Through material and form, Shonibare invites us to reconsider what we take to be authentic or fixed, suggesting identity and culture as something always in motion.