Yinka Shonibare CBE RA, Artist, London
Edward Enninful OBE, Cofounder and Chief Creative Officer, EE72, London
Edward Enninful OBE speaks with Yinka Shonibare CBE RA, the British Nigerian artist who brought a vibrant critique of colonial legacies to the forefront of 1990s art. Shonibare gained international acclaim for sculptures, installations, and photographs that reimagined European history through the lens of African identity, using Dutch wax fabrics as a provocative symbol of cultural hybridity. His work from the 90s established a new postcolonial vocabulary that continues to be as alluring as it is challenging.
Yinka Shonibare CBE RA will be featured in ‘The 90s’, a landmark exhibition curated by Edward Enninful at Tate Britain (October 1, 2026 to February 14, 2027).
Yinka Shonibare CBE RA (b. 1962, London) studied Fine Art at Byam Shaw School of Art, London (1989) and received his MFA from Goldsmiths, University of London (1991). His interdisciplinary practice uses citations of Western art history and literature to question the validity of contemporary cultural and national identities within the context of globalization. Through examining race, class, and the construction of cultural identity, his works comment on the tangled interrelationship between Africa and Europe, and their respective economic and political histories.
In November 2022, Shonibare hosted the international launch of Guest Artists Space (G. A. S.) Foundation, a nonprofit founded and developed by the artist. The foundation is dedicated to facilitating cultural exchange through residencies, public programs, and exhibition opportunities for creative practitioners from around the world.
Edward Enninful OBE is one of the leading voices in today’s creative industry, known for impactful storytelling and championing diverse, emerging talent. Born to a Ghanaian army officer and a seamstress, he became the youngest-ever international fashion editor at i-D magazine at 18, and later contributed to Italian Vogue, where he spearheaded the groundbreaking ‘Black Issue’.
He has held roles at American Vogue, W Magazine, and British Vogue – the only Black editor-in-chief in Vogue’s history – transforming the publication into a diverse, inclusive, multi-platform brand. Awarded an OBE for his contributions to diversity in fashion, Enninful is also the cofounder and chief creative officer of EE72, a global media company producing transformational content, immersive experiences, and 72 Magazine, its first-ever print and digital venture amplifying diverse voices.
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