THE WAR LIBRARY
The War Library is an exploration of the legacy of war and conflict brought about by imperial ambitions. The installation consists of 5,700 books bound in Dutch wax printed cotton. Written in gold on the spines of 2,700 books are names of global conflicts and peace treaties, which were a direct or indirect result of imperial ambitions.
The conflicts and treaties represented are from any historical period and offer a snapshot from around the world. The War Library is therefore by no means meant to be a complete list of all conflict and peace processes but instead is a reflection on how they are currently presented in the public realm. This is in recognition of the fact that views on conflict and peace are always subjective. Many of the names of the conflicts and treaties appear on two books, under different names, and this is again to reflect the subjective nature of these histories and to ensure that opposing perspectives are represented.
The work asks us to consider the historical and current impact of imperial ambitions and the role they played in identity shaping in our global society. The library is supported by this online resource which provides further information on each of the conflicts and peace treaties represented. This research was conducted by independent researchers and aims to give the different parties involved in the conflict or treaty equal weighting.
The War Library is currently on display at Serpentine Galleries as part of Yinka Shonibare CBE’s Suspended States exhibition, from 12 April 2024 until 1 September 2024.
Artist’s Biography
Yinka Shonibare CBE RA (b. 1962) in London, UK, studied Fine Art at Byam Shaw School of Art, London (1989) and received his MFA from Goldsmiths, University of London (1991).
His interdisciplinary practice uses citations of Western art history and literature to question the validity of contemporary cultural and national identities within the context of globalization. Through examining race, class and the construction of cultural identity, his works comment on the tangled interrelationship between Africa and Europe, and their respective economic and political histories.
In 2004, Shonibare was nominated for the Turner Prize and in 2008, his mid-career survey began at Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney, travelling in 2009 to the Brooklyn Museum, New York and the Museum of African Art at the Smithsonian Institute, Washington D.C. In 2010, his first public art commission ‘Nelson’s Ship in a Bottle’ was displayed on the Fourth Plinth in Trafalgar Square, London and is in the permanent collection of the National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, London.
In 2013, he was elected a Royal Academician and was awarded the honour of ‘Commander of the Order of the British Empire’ in 2019. His installation ‘The British Library’ was acquired by Tate, London in 2019.
Shonibare was awarded the prestigious Whitechapel Gallery Art Icon Award in March 2021. A major retrospective of his work opened at the Museum der Moderne, Salzburg in May 2021 followed by his co-ordination of The Royal Academy Summer Exhibition, London which opened in September 2021.
To mark Sharjah Biennial's 30th anniversary in February 2023, Shonibare was commissioned to create a series of new works for the exhibition. He also unveiled a new outdoor sculpture commissioned by the David Oluwale Memorial Association in Aire Park, Leeds as part of Leeds 2023.
At this year’s 60th International Art Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia, from April 20 to November 24, he is presenting a new installation in Nigeria’s national pavilion as part of the group exhibition titled Nigeria Imaginary. And his sculpture Refugee Astronaut VII will feature in the group exhibition titled Stranieri Ovunque - Foreigners Everywhere, curated by Adriano Pedrosa.
In November 2022, Shonibare hosted the international launch of Guest Artists Space
(G. A. S.) Foundation, a non-profit founded and developed by the artist. The Foundation is dedicated to facilitating cultural exchange through residencies, public programmes and exhibition opportunities for creative practitioners from around the world. The multi-use live/work residency spaces are set across sites in Lagos and a rural working farm in Ijebu, Ogun State.
Shonibare’s works are in notable museum collections internationally, including the Tate Collection, London; Victoria and Albert Museum, London; National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institute, Washington, D.C; Museum of Modern Art, New York; Moderna Museet, Stockholm; the Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago; National Gallery of Modern Art in Rome and VandenBroek Foundation, The Netherlands.