YINKA SHONIBARE MBE - WILLY LOMAN: THE RISE AND FALL
15 October 2009 - 20 November 2009
"Theatricality is certainly a device in my work, it is a way of setting the stage...There is no obligation to truth in such a setting so you have the leeway to create fiction or to dream."
Shonibare in conversation with Anthony Downey. ‘Yinka Shonibare, MBE' Pub. MCA Sydney & Prestel New York (2008) p.41.
Video showing the process behind this mass production of a different kind...
Ai Weiwei's Sunflower Seeds challenges our first impressions: what you see is not what you see, and what you see is not what it means. The sculptural installation is made up of what appear to be millions of sunflower seed husks, apparently identical but actually unique. Although they look realistic, each seed is made out of porcelain. And far from being industrially produced, 'readymade' or found objects, they have been intricately hand-crafted by hundreds of skilled artisans. Poured into the interior of the Turbine Hall's vast industrial space, the seeds form a seemingly infinite landscape. The precious nature of the material, the effort of production and the narrative and personal content make this work a powerful commentary on the human condition.