RA FAMILY ALBUM 2016

Yinka Shonibare’s “RA Family Album” is a site-specific installation made of fabric, photography, and paint. Shonibare often uses batik, a wax-resist textile, to make his artwork, a material loaded with postcolonial significance. These printed cotton fabrics were originally produced by the Dutch for sale in Indonesia, but the designs were copied and industrialized in England, and then sold in West Africa. The artist uses these colorful designs to explore themes of colonialism, cultural identity, and global trade, and the complexities of cultural hybridity. Here, the vibrant colors of the batik create a striking contrast with the black and white photographs, arranged in a grid-like pattern that is both visually appealing and conceptually engaging. By combining the photographic portraits with colorful, dripping patterns, Shonibare engages with wider issues of labor, politics, and consumption. The installation prompts us to reconsider the relationship between fine art and craft, and the power of materials and making in shaping our understanding of art and its cultural significance.