Consider Yinka Shonibare's Cake Man and discuss the significance of the use of textiles in the work

What will be an ideal response?


The textiles that Shonibare favors have an intriguing history. Though widely used in West Africa for clothing, they are not African in origin. They were first produced around 1900 by the Dutch, who developed them in imitation of the batik cloth made in Indonesia. The British soon began producing similar textiles, and both countries marketed them to West Africa, where they became part of "traditional" dress. "Even things that were supposed to represent authentic Africa didn't turn out to fulfill the expectation of authenticity," says Shonibare. The textiles invite us to meditate on the complex back-and-forth of these relationships, which destabilize simple ideas about cultural authenticity and national identity.

Art & Culture

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