Yinka Shonibare and the exhibition arc from Winchester to Waltham
Published on 08/24/2026 at 13:36 | Editorial responsibility: Rafael Müller, Editor-in-Chief AD HOC NEWS
Yinka Shonibare has spent 2026 on both sides of the Atlantic, with UK and US institutions framing his practice through exhibitions that focus on prints and architectural installations. His solo show Yinka Shonibare: Sanctuary at the Rose Art Museum and the print-driven Patterns of Power at The Arc in Winchester together show how his staged sanctuaries and textile works circulate between contexts.
Recent exhibitions in the UK and US
The Rose Art Museum at Brandeis University opened Yinka Shonibare: Sanctuary on February 11, 2026, running through January 3, 2027. The exhibition presents the U.S. debut of the installation Sanctuary City (2024), a suite of 18 scaled-down architectural models linked to histories of refuge and asylum.
Earlier in the year, Hampshire Cultural Trust organized Yinka Shonibare CBE RA: Patterns of Power at The Arc, Winchester. The show, staged from February 14 to June 3, 2026, assembled over 40 woodblocks and screenprints spanning two decades, including the sculptural work The Crowning (2007) on loan from the Arts Council Collection.
Monday focus on exhibition arcs
At Rose Art Museum, Sanctuary City reworks Shonibare’s architectural vocabulary: each model represents a building associated with sanctuary, from historic churches to contemporary shelters, rendered in dark forms and patterned surfaces. The installation originally appeared in the Serpentine South exhibition Suspended States in 2024, before being recontextualized in Waltham.
In Winchester, Patterns of Power highlights the artist’s longstanding interest in printmaking as a parallel to his textile-based sculptures. The exhibition brings together the woodblock project Ritual Ecstasy of the Modern and screenprints from the series African Flower Magic (2025), extending his reflections on colonial modernity into graphic form.
Exhibitions and background on Yinka Shonibare
For a broader view of Yinka Shonibare’s recent shows, commissions and critical reception, the AD HOC NEWS archive offers additional reports on his institutional projects and public appearances.
The work core in recent shows
Sanctuary City occupies a dedicated gallery at Rose, where the clustered models form a kind of miniature city of refuge. The installation’s emphasis on precarious shelter aligns with Shonibare’s broader engagement with migration, security and the politics of protection, now filtered through an American university museum frame.
In Winchester, the concentration on woodblocks and screenprints makes visible how motifs familiar from his textile sculptures, such as stylized florals and geometric overlays, are tested in two dimensions. The presence of The Crowning situates these prints alongside a three-dimensional work in which a figure is literally elevated and framed by fabric-laden ornament.
Where the artist stands now
Yinka Shonibare’s installation Yinka Shonibare: Sanctuary remains on view at the Rose Art Museum in Waltham through January 3, 2027, providing an extended period for audiences to encounter Sanctuary City within an institutional context.
Key facts on Yinka Shonibare
- Artist: Yinka Shonibare CBE RA
- Medium / Genre: Sculpture and installation, textile-based conceptual art
- Born: 1962, London, United Kingdom
- Place(s) of practice: Studio practice between London and Lagos, with projects developed through Yinka Shonibare Foundation
- Active since: Late 1980s, with wider recognition in the 1990s
- Key work groups: Mr. and Mrs. Andrews without their Heads, Sanctuary City, Safiotra [Hybridités/Hybridities], Ritual Ecstasy of the Modern
- Current/last exhibition: Yinka Shonibare: Sanctuary, Rose Art Museum, Waltham, February 11, 2026 - January 3, 2027
- Major collections: Tate (London), National Gallery of Canada (Ottawa), Arts Council Collection (UK), Rose Art Museum (Waltham)
- Awards: Honorary CBE, Royal Academician (RA), various institutional recognitions
- Next date: Exhibition run of Yinka Shonibare: Sanctuary at Rose Art Museum through January 3, 2027
Frequently asked questions about Yinka Shonibare
Where can I see Yinka Shonibare’s work in 2026?
In 2026, Shonibare’s installation Sanctuary City anchors Yinka Shonibare: Sanctuary at the Rose Art Museum in Waltham, while his prints and the sculpture The Crowning featured in Patterns of Power at The Arc, Winchester.
What is shown in the exhibition Yinka Shonibare: Sanctuary?
The Rose Art Museum exhibition centers on the installation Sanctuary City, comprising 18 scaled-down architectural models of buildings associated with refuge, presented alongside contextual material about sanctuary and migration narratives.
How did Patterns of Power in Winchester frame his print practice?
Patterns of Power presented over 40 woodblocks and screenprints from across 20 years, including the series Ritual Ecstasy of the Modern and African Flower Magic, and placed these graphic works in dialogue with the sculpture The Crowning.
This article was produced with a.i. support and editorially reviewed. All statements without guarantee; auction results, exhibition dates and awards may change at short notice.
