Dec. 18, 2009-Mar. 14, 2010
St. Louis
London-based Nigerian artist Yinka Shonibare MBE is best known for sculpture, photography and installation that address history, culture and the passage of time. In 2005, Queen Elizabeth II made the artist a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE). Commissioned by the Brooklyn Museum, Mother and Father Worked Hard So I Can Play (2009) advances Shonibare’s inventive investigation of African identity and European colonialism. In this visually and conceptually engaging work akin to a treasure hunt, Shonibare has placed seven figures of mischievous, playful children throughout the Museum’s period rooms. By dressing the mannequins in Victorian costume made from Dutch wax fabric, commonly known as African print, Shonibare complicates the children’s presence and their relationship with the specific interior. The exhibition will be on view in the Period Rooms, located on the Lower Level of the St. Louis Art Museum.