Yinka Shonibare MBE: Colonial Arrangements is being held in conjunction with the 250th anniversary of Morris-Jumel Mansion, a storied historic house located in Washington Heights in upper Manhattan.
The exhibition features entirely new work by Yinka Shonibare MBE commissioned by Morris-Jumel. The work utilises 19th century theatrical techniques to create an apparition of Eliza Jumel (1775‒1865), the Mansion’s longest-tenured resident. In addition, placed throughout Morris-Jumel’s period rooms are sculptures of children in period costumes made of Dutch wax batik cotton textile taken from the artist’s 2009 series Mother and Father Worked Hard So I Can Play.
Set within the Mansion’s interiors, Shonibare’s work examines Morris-Jumel’s multi-layered history, which spans the colonial period to the present. Colonial Arrangements gives occasion to consider the interrelationships of Europe, Africa and the Americas during the 18th and 19th centuries, and provides a window into the lives of the era’s men, women and children.