Photo: David Lindsay on behalf of LEEDS 2023 (Leeds Culture Trust); original sculpture by Yinka Shonibare (pictured) / CC BY-SA 2.0 (source: Wikimedia Commons)
My Take
Yinka Shonibare is one of the sharpest minds in contemporary art, in my view. Working from London, he turns vivid Ankara batik fabric into a tool for interrogating colonialism, identity, and globalisation, letting something as everyday as cloth carry the weight of history. That he creates ambitious works through assistants, directing despite paralysis on one side of his body, only deepens my respect: the will to make art clearly lives in the mind, not the hands. With a Goldsmiths background and an honour from the British Empire he so pointedly critiques, his intelligence is impossible to overlook.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Yinka Shonibare
- Name (Japanese)
- インカ・ショニバレ
- Reading
- いんか・しょにばれ
- Born
- January 1, 1962 (age 64)
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Capricorn / Tiger
- Origin
- London, Roman Empire
- Blood type
- Private
- Height
- Private
- Agency
- Private
- Occupation
- photographer / painter / sculptor / artist / video installation artist
2. Background
- Elementary school
- Private
- Junior high
- Private
- High school
- Private
- University
- Goldsmiths, University of London
Awards & achievements
- 2004 Member of the Order of the British Empire
- Commander of the Order of the British Empire
- 2021 Whitechapel Gallery
3. Relationships
- Spouse
- Private
- Children
- Private
- Parents
- Private
- Siblings
- Private
4. Personality
Motto
Private
6. Links
Frequently asked questions
When was Yinka Shonibare born?
Born January 1, 1962 (age 64).
Where is Yinka Shonibare from?
Yinka Shonibare is from London, Roman Empire.
What does Yinka Shonibare do?
Yinka Shonibare works as photographer, painter, sculptor, artist, video installation artist.
Photographer — see all → · Painter — see all → · More people from Roman Empire →
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-24
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public items are marked "Private / Unknown". English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.