‘Safiotra [Hybridités/Hybridities]’, British-Nigerian artist Yinka Shonibare’s exhibition at contemporary art foundation Fondation H in Madagascar, brings together 15 years of his work, including stitched works, quilts, and sculptures, ‘so people can have a full understanding of the scope of my career’, he tells Wallpaper*.
The work on view in the exhibition includes Refugee Astronaut X (2024), Alien Woman on Flying Machine (2011), and three Decolonised Structures from ‘Suspended States’, his 2024 solo show at Serpentine in London.
The nucleus of the exhibition is The African Library (2018), part of Fondation H’s permanent collection. The massive installation, featuring 6,000 books wrapped in Shonibare’s signature Dutch wax fabric, spotlights individuals such as Nelson Mandela, Kwame Nkrumah, and Patrice Lumumba, who helped shape post-colonial Africa. The work is complemented by a digital interface providing historical and biographical information about the figures.
