Suspended States is the artist’s first London solo exhibition in over 20 years. It showcases new works, interrogating how systems of power affect sites of refuge, debates on public statues, the ecological impact of colonialisation and the legacy of imperialism on conflict and consequential attempts at peace.
Suspended States includes installations of recent sculptures, textiles, and woodcuts, reflecting Shonibare’s recent meditations on the suspension of boundaries ‘whether psychological, physical or geographical’. Resonating with Serpentine’s location within a Royal Park, the artist’s new works explore the role of public colonial statues, sites of refuge, and the legacy of war and consequential attempts at peace. His distinctive use of 'African print', originally Dutch wax print inspired by Indonesian batik and later traded to West Africa in the 19th century, serves as a symbol for the intricate ties between Europe and Africa.
The exhibition also reveals the importance of cultural and social exchange projects to Shonibare’s practice, through his longstanding support of other artists in his Guest Projects experimental programme held in his studio in East London since 2008, and his more recent Guest Artist Space (G.A.S.) Foundation which was founded in Nigeria in 2019.
Suspended States runs until the 1st of September 2024.