Inside Yinka Shonibare's first major show in Africa

‘Safiotra [Hybridités/Hybridities]’, British-Nigerian artist Yinka Shonibare’s exhibition at contemporary art foundation Fondation H in Madagascar, brings together 15 years of his work, including stitched works, quilts, and sculptures, ‘so people can have a full understanding of the scope of my career’, he tells Wallpaper*.

The work on view in the exhibition includes Refugee Astronaut X (2024), Alien Woman on Flying Machine (2011), and three Decolonised Structures from ‘Suspended States’, his 2024 solo show at Serpentine in London.

The nucleus of the exhibition is The African Library (2018), part of Fondation H’s permanent collection. The massive installation, featuring 6,000 pieces wrapped in Shonibare’s signature Dutch wax fabric, spotlights individuals such as Nelson Mandela, Kwame Nkrumah, and Patrice Lumumba, who helped shape post-colonial Africa. The work is complemented by a digital interface providing historical and biographical information about the figures.

‘It’s great to be showing in Madagascar – this is really my first big show in Africa,’ says Shonibare. He adds that he’s ‘quite open’ to showing his work across the continent – following past exhibitions in Europe, Asia, and the United States of America – and has an upcoming solo show at Goodman Gallery’s space in Johannesburg, South Africa in June.

The Madagascar exhibition also features artworks from the Fondation H collection of artists, including Zanele Muholi (South Africa), Ibrahim Mahama (Ghana), Abdoulaye Konate (Mali), Zoarinivo Razakaratrimo (Madagascar), Malika Agueznay (Morocco), Omar Ba (Senegal), Virginia Chihota (Zimbabwe), and El Anatsui (Ghana.]

‘It's such a privilege to be exhibiting an artist who's been exhibiting everywhere in the world but not on the continent where he comes from,’ says Margaux Huille, the director of Fondation H. ‘It all started with The African Library, because Fondation H was interested in the acquisition of this piece and by acquiring it, we felt that it was our responsibility, as an art institution in Madagascar, to showcase it in the most beautiful way [here].’

As part of programming for the exhibition, a series of performances and discussions was held at the foundation, featuring Shonibare and, among others, Gus Casely-Hayford, director of V&A East, London; Smooth-Ugochukwu Nzewi, curator in the Department of Painting and Sculpture at the Museum of Modern Art, New York; Tasmin Hong, curator at Serpentine Galleries, London; Dominique Tiana Razafindratsimba, professor at the University of Antananarivo, director of the Centre for Research and Studies on Identity Construction in Antananarivo, Madagascar.

What impact will this exhibition have on Malagasy artists and people who see Shonibare’s work? ‘I think one impact on the artists for sure is that the way Yinka tackles issues will hopefully give them freedom to express what they want to express in a very accessible way. What is fascinating about Yinka's work is the complexity of the topics he discusses, but with such simplicity,’ says Huille. ‘We have so many young people coming to Fondation H and a lot of times people tell me, “It's amazing. You're building the next generation of artists.” But it's not so much about the next generation of artists, I think it's about the next generation of citizens. It isn’t only artists who will benefit from this show. It's for everyone.’

Malagasy artist Joey Aresoa will be in residence in Lagos, Nigeria, later this year as part of a partnership between Shonibare’s Guest Artists Space (GAS) Foundation and Fondation H.

‘Safiotra [Hybridités/Hybridities]’ is on view at Fondation H in Antananarivo, Madagascar until 28 February 2026

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