British Council unveils first outdoor sculpture by Yinka Shonibare In Lagos, Nigeria

The British Council – the UK’s international organisation for cultural relations and educational opportunities – announce its first ever public sculpture project in Nigeria. Yinka Shonibare MBE’s Wind Sculpture VI will be on display in Ndubuisi Kanu Park in Ikeja, Lagos as part of the British Council’s UK/Nigeria 2015–16 season, which aims to build new audiences, create new collaborations and strengthen relationships between the two countries.

This is the first solo presentation in Nigeria by Shonibare, a Yoruba man who was born in London and moved to Lagos as a child. The installation of Wind Sculpture VI will work towards establishing a new paradigm for the role of public art in Lagos. The artist will travel to Nigeria for the unveiling of the sculpture, giving a talk to students and attending a screening of all three of his films, ‘Addio del Passato (2011), ‘Un Ballo in Maschera (2004), ‘Odile and Odette’ (2005) at the site of the installation in Ndubuisi Kanu Park on November 27th.

Wind Sculpture VI forms part of a series of important large-scale sculptures that demonstrates Yinka Shonibare MBE’s belief in the importance of public sculpture. This six metre tall sculpture appears to be an ephemeral billowing form, capturing a moment in time where wind passes through fabric, but is actually rendered in steel and fibreglass. The organic concave and convex shapes are mirrored in the hand painted patterns that replicate Shonibare’s signature Dutch wax batik fabrics on a dramatically grand scale. All of these elements together lend the work a magical and poetic quality that is immediately visually seductive.

The British Council’s UK/NG 2015–2016 season promotes community engagement with arts and culture, boosting awareness around arts and culture in public spaces. Wind Sculpture VI will remain in Lagos for three months and over that period the park will be the venue for talks, workshops and other wraparound public activities. The installation has been supported by GT Bank and is a collaboration between Yinka Shonibare MBE, Stephen Friedman Gallery and the British Council.