WIND SCULPTURE II (YORKSHIRE SCULPTURE PARK) 2013

Editor: Here we have Yinka Shonibare’s “Wind Sculpture II (Yorkshire Sculpture Park),” created in 2013. It's a mixed-media piece installed outdoors. The size is impressive, towering above the landscape! I’m really intrigued by how it seems both solid and flowing. What draws your attention most about this sculpture? Curator: I’m interested in the fabric, its pattern, and what it represents in terms of production and circulation. Shonibare uses Dutch wax fabric, which, ironically, has roots in Indonesian batik, was mass-produced by the Dutch, and then sold in West Africa. This seemingly simple material is loaded with a complex history of colonialism, industrialization, and trade. Editor: So the choice of fabric itself is a statement about these historical processes? Curator: Exactly. The form, billowing as if caught by the wind, is dynamic, yet it's fixed, highlighting the tension between movement and stasis within these global power dynamics. How do the labor and material of traditional textiles connect with our understanding of contemporary sculpture? Do you consider "public art" as distinct from "fine art," and if so, where and how can we make this distinction? Editor: That’s fascinating! It shifts my perspective from just seeing a colourful, eye-catching sculpture to considering the intricate economic and political systems that contribute to its very existence. It also suggests that this piece engages with ideas about location and local community, or even local economic activity, as a piece of public art in Yorkshire. Curator: Precisely! Shonibare challenges the traditional boundaries between fine art and craft, forcing us to reconsider the labor and materials involved in both. Editor: I see now that by emphasizing materials and the processes involved, the artwork provides a lens to examine power and value. Curator: Yes, it's not just about aesthetics but about uncovering the layers of history embedded in the material itself. Hopefully that's something our listeners will find themselves doing with artwork after this!