Yinka Shonibare CBE

“The wild is far from unlimited. It is finite. It needs protecting.” - David Attenborough 

James Cohan is pleased to present Earth Kids, an exhibition of new sculptures by Yinka Shonibare CBE, on view from December 4 through January 23 at the gallery’s Lower East Side location at 291 Grand Street. This is the artist's seventh solo exhibition at James Cohan.

To explore the exhibition in our Viewing Room, please click here. 

Yinka Shonibare CBE mines the past to speak of the present. Rachel Kent, Chief Curator at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney, explains that Shonibare engages with, “history and its legacy for future generations, of how we live in the present, and of cycles or patterns that repeat across time despite their often destructive consequences. In this way he pricks the consciences of those who encounter his art, using beauty and seduction instead of words as his chosen weapons.”  

In Earth Kids, Shonibare makes a connection between the history of colonial domination and humankind’s domination of the natural world and exploitation of its limited resources. The quartet of child-scaled sculptures champion the next generation of environmentalists fighting for climate justice—including young activists, such as Greta Thunberg—who have thrown a spotlight on the failings of previous generations of policy makers. These works, Shonibare states, are a call to action to protect the planet for our children.

The carbon footprint of this exhibition was calculated with a gallery emphasis on emission reductions. On behalf of the exhibition, a donation was made to Art to Acres, a non-profit organization that supports old-growth tropical forest conservation. To learn more about Galleries Commit, and sustainable gallery practices please click here.