Meet Yinka Shonibare – the artist behind the stunning and provocative Magic Ladders exhibit at The Barnes Museum in Philadelphia. Born in Britain but raised in Nigeria, Shonibare subversively examines the relationship between Europe and Africa through the colonial and postcolonial period.
The Magic Ladders exhibit is sponsored by Anthropologie and features Shonibare’s signature life-sized mannequins clothed in colorful Dutch wax fabrics produced in Europe but most closely associated with Africa (similar to those we package our products in!) These dramatic, playful, and irreverent sculptures are both visually spectacular and deeply thought provoking, inviting the viewer to think critically about notions of race, gender, and cultural identity*.
So if you’re in the Philly area, we highly recommend checking out this exhibit. And if you’re not then…ROAD TRIP!
Details:
Yinka Shonibare MBE: Magic Ladders
The Barnes Foundation
2025 Benjamin Franklin Pkwy
Philadelphia, PA 19130
Dates: January 24-April 21
*Some language provided by the Barnes Museum.