Entangled Pasts, 1768–Now brings together over 100 major contemporary and historic works as part of a conversation about art and its role in shaping narratives of empire, enslavement, resistance, abolition and colonialism – and how it may help set a course for the future.
Woman Moving Up, 2023, is included in the show and reflects Yinka Shonibare CBE's interest in American history and its unique ties to colonialism and diasporic identity formation by exploring the Great Migration—the decades-long exodus of six million Black Americans from the rural South to cities in the North, Midwest, and West from 1916 to 1970.
Justice for All, 2019, is also on view re-configures British sculptor F.W. Pomeroy’s Lady Justice, 1905-1906, which stands upon the dome of The Old Bailey. Instead of her habitual golden garb, Shonibare's Lady Justice is adorned in brightly coloured Dutch wax batik. In place of a head, a hand-painted globe features a map of the world, alluding to a form of universal identity.
The exhibition runs until 28 April 2024.