Brand New Gallery presents the first solo exhibition of works by Yinka Shonibare MBE in an Italian gallery. In this multi-part exhibition of sculpture, photography and film, Shonibare explores the concept of destiny as it relates to themes of desire, yearning, love, power, and sexual repression.
Following the installation of the artist’s widely acclaimed work Nelson’s Ship in a Bottle, 2010, in Trafalgar Square, London, Shonibare continues his explorations of Lord Nelson, the figurehead of the British Empire at its apotheosis. During the exhibition, the gallery will feature two sculptural installations of costumes with period details and his signature vibrantly patterned fabrics, a hallmark of the artist's work, as well as a series of five photographs, Fake Death Pictures, 2011. On view is the film Addio Del Passato, 2011, in which the character of Lord Nelson’s estranged wife, sings the eponymous aria from the last act of Verdi’s opera, La Traviata.