Yinka Shonibare (b. 1962, London, United Kingdom)

Scramble for Africa

2003, 14 life-size fibreglass mannequins, 14 chairs, table, Dutch wax printed cotton.

The Pinnell Collection, Dallas. Photo by Stephen White, Courtesy James Cohan Gallery, New York and Stephen Friedman Gallery, London ©Yinka Shonibare CBE (RA)

The "Scramble for Africa” is the name given to the carving up in the late 19th century of the continent by Europeans hungry for “a slice of this magnificent African cake.” Raised on a platform and with lighting from below, this sculpture of figures around an antique conference table resembles a stage-set. With their angry gestures, we can almost hear the shouting as the participants stake their claims.

READ MORE ABOUT THE BACKGROUND…

Shonibare often uses batik-pattern fabric – a symbol since the 1960s of African identity - to dress headless, life-size sculptures. Here they represent the participants at the Berlin Conference of 1884–1885, when these leaders negotiated the regions each one of them would control.  The headless figures symbolise not only the ongoing colonial project, but its mindlessness and the resulting loss of humanity suffered by the African nations.

Talking about the way he creates a work like this one, Shonibare says, "Theatricality is certainly a device in my work, it is a way of setting the stage; it is also a fiction-a hyper-real, theatrical device that enables you to re-imagine events from history. . ."