Rage Of The Ballet Gods By Yinka Shonibare
Yinka Shonibare demonstrates the theme of appreciation for African fabrics in his series of Wind Sculptures that are displayed throughout cities and museums across the states, as well as in Singapore. There are many important visual elements that Shonibare includes in this series. Each structure has a small base and then opens up and unfolds into this beautiful architecture. Made out of steel glass with a hand-painted fiberglass resin cast, each sculpture tells a different story. In Wind Sculpture ll (Figure 1), one can see the vibrant orange and different shades of blue across. The repetition of the shapes on the curves is also an important visual element of this piece. The colors on this series are vibrant as the patterns draw the viewer’s
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In this series, Shonibare depicts the Greek gods as ballerinas to show a contrast between a ballerina’s elegance and their rage and frustration with humans and their destruction to our planet (Cohan, 2017). In the piece titled, Ballet God (Poseidon) (Figure 2), Poseidon is depicted as a ballerina with a globe as a head and a dagger in her hand. Traditionally, mythological Gods use weather as a way to punish humans for the wrongs that they have done; making the contrast between the grace of a ballerina and the rage from the Gods very important. Shonibare used these ideas to convey to the audience that the Gods are upset with how the history of mankind is slowly disappearing. (Cohan, 2017). This piece has many important visual elements that allow viewers to appreciate Yinka Shonibare’s work. Poseidon is made up of a fibreglass mannequin, dutch wax that was printed with cotton textile, trident, dagger, globe, and pointe shoes. The texture of tutu is full of color, a golden dagger and the tights, a dark red, all capture the audience’s eye. Unlike the last series that was discussed, this series brings up an overlooked social issue that Shonibare believes should be addressed. Shonibare’s conception of his social role as an artist today is important when analyzing this series. Shonibare believes that it is his job to bring awareness to these
In this series, Shonibare depicts the Greek gods as ballerinas to show a contrast between a ballerina’s elegance and their rage and frustration with humans and their destruction to our planet (Cohan, 2017). In the piece titled, Ballet God (Poseidon) (Figure 2), Poseidon is depicted as a ballerina with a globe as a head and a dagger in her hand. Traditionally, mythological Gods use weather as a way to punish humans for the wrongs that they have done; making the contrast between the grace of a ballerina and the rage from the Gods very important. Shonibare used these ideas to convey to the audience that the Gods are upset with how the history of mankind is slowly disappearing. (Cohan, 2017). This piece has many important visual elements that allow viewers to appreciate Yinka Shonibare’s work. Poseidon is made up of a fibreglass mannequin, dutch wax that was printed with cotton textile, trident, dagger, globe, and pointe shoes. The texture of tutu is full of color, a golden dagger and the tights, a dark red, all capture the audience’s eye. Unlike the last series that was discussed, this series brings up an overlooked social issue that Shonibare believes should be addressed. Shonibare’s conception of his social role as an artist today is important when analyzing this series. Shonibare believes that it is his job to bring awareness to these