Four child-sized sculptures elegantly dressed in Victorian-era garb fight for the environment in Earth Kids, a new exhibit by British artist Yinka Shonibare CBE on view at James Cohan’s Lower East Side gallery.
Shonibare has called attention to climate change for years. Each of his Earth Kids represents a natural element—earth, fire, air, and water. “The colonization of Africa is somewhat parallel to the colonization of the planet and the climate change issues we are facing now,” the artist states in a video posted on jamescohan.net.
Shonibare has replaced each figure’s head with a globe, erasing any hint of race or ethnicity. “The children, they’re neither black nor white,” the artist explains. “They are somewhere in between.”
The four figures are dressed in elaborate ensembles made from Dutch Wax fabric. “The batiks are Indonesian-influenced fabrics produced by the Dutch and then sold to the West African market," the artist notes. "The fabrics are now popularly seen as African textiles. The fabrics are now also made within the African continent.”
The colorful patterns on the Earth Kids’ outfits feature symbols of the four elements each child represents, including leaves and fruits, flames, electric fans, and faucets and pipes. “The children are actually wearing…Victorian dress and the reason for this is that I link history to the present,” Shonibare explains. “The high point of the colonial period in Africa is the Victorian era. That is why those kids are wearing those [costumes]."
Earth Kid (Boy) greets visitors as they enter the gallery. The figure slouches under the weight of a massive net slung over his shoulder filled with plastic waste—water bottles, single-use bags, food containers, and more. The sculpture demonstrates our reliance on plastic goods which impacts developing countries and chokes the oceans.
Fire Kid (Girl) leans against the burnt remains of a tree reading a book entitled Climate Change. The book is open to an image of a forest engulfed in flames. The young female figure serves as a “cautionary tale,” according to the artist, “there is a caution there as to what could happen” such as drought, wildfires and deforestation. A few budding leaves poking out from a branch above the girl represent a bit of hope and “the possibility of redemption or possibility for regeneration,” Shonibare optimistically adds.
Air Kid (Boy) battles gusty winds armed only with a battered vintage umbrella. Water Kid (Girl) desperately tries to pour out every drop from a Victorian water decanter as a single droplet vexingly glistens on the rim of the vessel. The nattily dressed children are a visually compelling call to action that elucidates the perils of global warming and implores protecting the environment for future generations.
While climate change continues to plague the planet, Shonibare finds some hope, particularly in younger environmental activists. “I’ve actually been particularly inspired by the way that the younger generation are not passive and they’re seeing what we’re doing wrong and pushing us to do something about it," the artist says. "And I think that’s admirable.”
Born in London in 1962, Yinka Shonibare CBE moved to Lagos, Nigeria when he was three-years-old. He returned to London and studied Fine Art at the former Byam School of Art (today Central Saint Martins) and received his MFA from Goldsmiths College. A member of the YBAs or "Young British Artists" in the '90s, the multimedia artist regularly addresses class and race in his work.
Shonibare was honored as an MBE, Member of the ‘Most Excellent Order of the British Empire’ in 2004 and was made a CBE, Commander of the Order of the British Empire, in 2019. Learn more about the artist at yinkashonibare.com.
Yinka Shonibare CBE | Earth Kids
James Cohan, 291 Grand Street, NYC
Exhibition on view December 4, 2020 through January 23, 2021
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