Yinka Shonibare CBE Hockey Sticks, 2019 Quilt Work: 135.72 x 190 cm
This quilt series developed out of Yinka Shonibare's project with Meadow Arts and Hereford Cathedral where he incorporated the characters from the medieval Mappa Mundi on display in the cathedral itself, and uses these as depictions of medieval and contemporary cultural hybrids. His approach with the new series of drawings that inform the quilts, is to create a collage of images that represent cultural hybrids from classical antiquity to contemporary culture. Creatures of the Mappa Mundi explore what Shonibare refers to as, “Two of the most pressing concerns of our time, environmental protection and immigration. Inspired by the ability of the Mappa Mundi to still be reflecting our contemporary concerns of fear of the stranger or “other” which often leads to xenophobia. The depictions of extinct creatures of legend are a reminder that we may yet become extinct if we do not take care of our environment.”
