Last modified on Mon 8 Apr 2019 18.40 BST. Art & Artists; Exhibitions & Events; Plan Your Visit; Shop; Albums; Tate Kids; Explore; Thumbnail: Image: Alternative ('alt') text: Image of Yinka Shonibare cartoon drawing as a teenager, he's wearing a pink shirt and on an orange background. It contains recent materials selected by the artist to present different viewpoints relating to immigration. The artist outlined the discursive and participatory nature of the project: ‘The British Library is an exploration of the diversity of British identity through a conceptually poetic lens. The fabric is sold widely across Africa and in markets elsewhere which cater to the African diaspora, but was originally produced in the Netherlands in the nineteenth century. It could be big reasons (like the economy or politics or war) affecting the country they are leaving, or more personal reasons to do with their family. There are also books with names of people who have opposed immigration: Oswald Mosley, for example, alongside Norman Tebbit, Paul Nuttall, Patrick Moore, Patricia Skitmore and Richard Littlejohn. Based on traditional wax-resist fabrics made in Indonesia, nineteenth-century Dutch merchants originally saw an opportunity to mechanise its production for export to the Dutch East Indies. ©2020. This artwork is definitely meant to make you think, and the questions it asks us to consider are not always easy! The rooms in this display focus on the relationship between artists and society, Explore how geometric abstraction fabricated dreams of a new society in the twentieth century, The works in this room find visual expression for the complex horrors of civil war, Discover the South African photographer who captured and critiqued the racially segregated society from 1948, Exlpore the experimental ways the Soviet Union used photography, publications and posters to promote the socialist state, Uncover Graciela Iturbide’s deep connection with the communities she photographs, Discover the work and outlook of Joseph Beuys, who saw art as central to all aspects of human existence, Bani Abidi’s Reserved 2006 is a two-screen video installation that shows an unnamed city preparing for the arrival of a VIP, View artworks that pay impressive tributes to campaigners for citizenship and civil rights, Reflect on the relationship between artists and subjects and the responsibilities involved in representing communities, We visit artist Yinka Shonibare MBE in his East London studio where he has created a separate exhibition space for emerging artists, Hear how Tate staff and community voices think about migration as you walk through Tate Modern, Browse in other languages: An immigrant is someone who has left one country to live in another. Yinka Shonibare’s The Swing (after Fragonard), made in Sheffield in 2001, is based on an iconic Rococo painting by Jean-Honoré Fragonard, The Swing (Les hazards heureux de l’escarpolette), 1767 (Wallace Collection P430), which depicts an aristocratic young woman in a frothy pink dress sweeping through a garden on a swing. He was awarded the CBE (Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire) in 2019 and has added the title to his professional name. This fabric is brightly coloured and Shonibare uses it a lot in his work. Yinka Shonibare’s artwork The British Library has gone on display at Tate Modern after being bought for the permanent collection. Español, Shonibare has become known for his work incorporating ‘Dutch wax print’ fabrics across a range of different media (see, for example, the sculpture The Swing [after Fragonard] 2001, Tate T07952). The British Library is an installation artwork by Yinka Shonibare. £120 Yinka Shonibare CBE satchel. People can also submit their own stories and a selection will be made available on the website. The work is intended to provoke discussion, debate and reflection on all aspects of British culture, and considers notions of territory and place, cultural identity, displacement and refuge. The books can be installed in purpose-built bookshelves to any configuration, or in existing bookshelves. £100,000 - 150,000 Clementia, 2018. Yinka Shonibare's 'The British Library' celebrates the diversity of the British population. An installation is an artwork that is so big you might need to walk through it. What do you think? Does this text contain inaccurate information or language that you feel we should improve or change? Original Website by Moira Stevenson.Website Updated and Maintained by Adam Thornton.Adam Thornton. All rights reserved. This installation is a library made up of over 6,000 books covered in fabric. The installation, acquired with the support of the Art Fund, includes tablet screens on which visitors can scroll through the names on the books. Who writes our collective history down? 700-year-old drunken princes scroll fetches £32m in Hong Kong, Lost stash of 400 erotic drawings by Duncan Grant comes to light, Imperial War Museum offers a look inside Lesbos refugee camp, Buckingham Palace art collection to go on gallery display for the first time, Sculptor's black 'everywoman' erected on public art walk in London, Government too late for UK culture sector in Covid-19 crisis, say MPs, Medical error led to painter Raphael's death, study finds, Astronomer claims to have pinpointed date of Vermeer's View of Delft. Original Website by Moira Stevenson.Website Updated and Maintained by Adam Thornton.Adam Thornton. If you were in the installation you might see some names you recognise! It is an eclectic mix that also features Dido, Winston Churchill, Mel B, Sid James, Danny Welbeck and Mary I. A library with thousands of batik-bound books celebrating the diversity of the British population has been acquired by Tate. What stories should we keep in a library? How can we celebrate the importance of immigrants to British society? All images are property of Yinka Shonibare CBE (RA). View all. Tate today announced that it has acquired the installation The British Library by Yinka Shonibare CBE, originally commissioned by HOUSE 2014 and Brighton Festival and shown in the Old Reference Library at Brighton Museum and Art Gallery. In her abandon, she has kicked off one tiny pink shoe; Fragonard catches the … Yinka Shonibare’s artwork The British Library has gone on display at Tate Modern after being bought for the permanent collection. Yinka Shonibare was born in London in 1962. On 2,700 of the books are the names, printed in gold leaf, of first- and second-generation immigrants to Britain who have made significant contributions to the country’s culture and history. View all works . You are invited to submit your own story, and a selection of visitors’ responses will be available to view on the website. A hallmark of his art is the brightly coloured Ankara fabric he uses. When he was three years old, his family moved to Lagos, Nigeria, where his father practised law.At 17, he returned to Britain to do his A-levels at Redrice School. Adjacent to the bookshelves is a study space with tablets, where viewers are able to access the artwork’s website (http://thebritishlibraryinstallation.com), learn more about the people named on the books, and review materials selected by the artist that represent different perspectives on immigration. The British Library is an exploration of the diversity of British identity through a conceptually poetic lens. Yinka Shonibare (born 1962) is a British-Nigerian artist living in the United Kingdom. The fabric is sold widely across Africa and in markets elsewhere which cater to the African diaspora, but was originally produced in the Netherlands in the nineteenth century. His dual identity as British-Nigerian has been the starting point for much of his work. The cheaper, machine-made textiles were poorly received in Indonesia. We would like to hear from you. The books are bound in African wax print fabric, the artist’s signature material. Three walls of … There are also books with the names of those who have opposed immigration. End of Empire, Museum der Moderne Salzburg, Österreich The books in the library represent many different family histories. His dual identity as British-Nigerian has been the starting point for much of his work. They are all first or second generation immigrants to Britain. Meet the artist who connects different cultures and reveals hidden histories. The British Library 2014 is an installation of 6,328 hardback books individually covered in colourful ‘Dutch wax print’ fabric and arranged on rows of shelving. Shonibare has become known for his work incorporating ‘Dutch wax print’ fabrics across a range of different media (see, for example, the sculpture The Swing [after Fragonard] 2001, Tate T07952). The library format of the work also addresses how knowledge is generated, stored and disseminated, questions with particular relevance in a digital age. Sold Bronze, 2019. Yinka Shonibare MBE’s new site-specific installation explores the impact of immigration on all aspects of British culture and considers notions of territory and place, cultural identity, displacement and refuge. In The British Library, Shonibare printed people's names in gold on some of the books. Yinka Shonibare CBE was born, studied and lives in London, but grew up in Lagos, Nigeria. The history of this fabric reveals a complex relationship between colonialism, cultural appropriation and national identity. Explore further here: https://bit.ly/31T9Ifd Among names such as Hans Holbein, Zadie Smith, Dame Helen Mirren and Danny Welbeck, the names of those who have opposed immigration also appear, including Nigel Farage and Oswald Mosley. Standfirst: Meet the artist who connects different cultures and reveals hidden histories. The space within the installation facilitates this aspect of the work, providing an area for debate. His work explores cultural identity, colonialism and post-colonialism within the contemporary context of globalisation. This artwork asks us to think about all the families who have come to Britain. The sheer number of names, each with their own unique personal and family history, underlines the multiplicity of reasons behind immigration, stressing the impact of global conflicts and economic factors on an individual level. ©2020. 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