Yinka Shonibare

African Bird Magic (Mauritius Kestrels with Head of an Oba), 2024

This work forms part of Shonibare’s African Bird Magic series of quilts, which combines textile traditions with imagery drawn from African artefacts and endangered bird species. The piece addresses the impact of environmental changes on African birdlife, often referencing the destruction caused by industrialization. An African mask hovers over the Kestrels, symbolising ancestors who were once custodians of the bird’s habitat before colonialism and industrialisation endangered many species. Shonibare often incorporates African masks in his work to highlight the historical journey of the masks to the West, often tied to colonial exploitation and trade, which influenced modernist artists like Henri Matisse (1869-1954), Pablo Picasso (1881-1973) and Amadeo Modigliani (1884-1920).

Shonibare celebrates these masks, explaining ‘they become symbols of African empowerment to challenge the consequences of Western colonial industrialisation in the degradation of the African environment.’ The African Bird Magic series also serves as a warning, reflecting on the consequences of industrialisation and its subsequent ecological impact, and reminding us of the species that may yet become extinct if we do not take care of our environment.