Yinka Shonibare - tapestry commission and bronze works in summer group shows
Published on 08/22/2026 at 11:42 | Editorial responsibility: Rafael Müller, Editor-in-Chief AD HOC NEWS
Yinka Shonibare continues to push his long-running investigation of colonial histories through hybrid materials and forms. Recent presentations bring together bronzes, textile masks and tapestry collaborations with Dovecot Studios, as the City of London highlights his work in the announcement for Beyond Bayeux: Tapestry Now on August 11, 2026.
Bronze and mask works in Antiparos
The group exhibition Melting Beauty on Antiparos in Greece presents two key works by Yinka Shonibare that extend his sculptural series into bronze and hybrid masks. The exhibition runs from July 30 to August 31, 2026, with L'Appartement Gallery describing it as its first off-site group show on the island.
In the Antiparos presentation, Shonibare is represented by Bronze VIII (Pink, Turquoise & Green) from 2022 and Hybrid Mask (Gurunsi) from 2023. These pieces translate his longstanding engagement with so-called 'African' textiles and colonial histories into three-dimensional, mask-like forms that intersect sculpture and cultural symbolism.
Outdoor bronzes and summer installations
Parallel to the Antiparos show, Goodman Gallery brings Yinka Shonibare to the South of France with outdoor sculptures at Hôtel Cap-Eden-Roc in Antibes, opening the Côte d'Azur season. The gallery’s residency at Galerie Podgorny in Saint-Paul-de-Vence runs from mid-July to late August 2026 and features his hand-painted bronze Fabric Bronze V (2025) alongside the textile work Nature Works (Diamond Mine, Angola) (2025).
Goodman Gallery frames Shonibare’s contribution as part of a dialogue between abstraction and figuration, movement and materiality. By placing bronzes and textile pieces in outdoor and residency contexts, the presentations underline how his sculptural language travels across sites while keeping a clear focus on ecological and colonial entanglements in material form.
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Textiles and tapestry collaborations
Beyond sculpture, Yinka Shonibare’s textile-based practice enters the tapestry field through collaborations with Edinburgh’s Dovecot Studios. The City of London’s August 11, 2026 communication on the exhibition Beyond Bayeux: Tapestry Now notes that Dovecot has worked with Shonibare to interpret traditional African masks in the tapestry Modern Spiritual (Fang Ngil, Kumbaduba).
According to the same announcement, the exhibition at Guildhall Art Gallery will run from October 23, 2026 to March 21, 2027, positioning Shonibare’s tapestry among over 20 contemporary works that reassess the medium’s history. His contribution uses colored hanging warps, knots and single and double weave to translate mask imagery into a layered textile structure.
How the artist works with hybrid forms
Yinka Shonibare works across sculpture, installation, photography and film, with Dutch wax print textiles as a recurring material anchor. The artist’s own exhibition listings underline this hybrid approach, from large-scale installations such as Sanctuary City (2024) to bodies of work that investigate ecological and colonial entanglements.
Where the artist stands now
Against this backdrop, Yinka Shonibare’s current work cycle is marked by parallel presentations of bronzes, masks and tapestry collaborations across Antiparos, the Côte d'Azur and forthcoming shows in London, confirming an active international production rhythm in mid-2026.
Key facts on Yinka Shonibare
- Artist: Yinka Shonibare CBE RA
- Medium / Genre: Sculpture and installation (hybrid textile and bronze)
- Born: 1962, London, United Kingdom
- Place(s) of practice: Studios in London and Lagos
- Active since: late 1980s, with wider recognition from the 1990s
- Key work groups: Mr. and Mrs. Andrews without their Heads, Hybrid Mask, Sanctuary City, Fabric Bronze series
- Current/last exhibition: Melting Beauty, Antiparos, Greece, July 30 to August 31, 2026
- Major collections: Tate (London), MoMA (New York), National Gallery of Art (Washington, D.C.), National Gallery (London), Rose Art Museum (Brandeis University)
- Awards: Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE, 2019), Royal Academician (Royal Academy of Arts, London)
- Next date: Beyond Bayeux: Tapestry Now, Guildhall Art Gallery, London, October 23, 2026 (Dovecot Studios tapestry collaboration)
Frequently asked questions about Yinka Shonibare
Where is Yinka Shonibare currently on view in summer 2026?
In summer 2026 Shonibare’s works are on view in the group exhibition Melting Beauty in Antiparos, Greece, and in Goodman Gallery’s residency in Saint-Paul-de-Vence and outdoor sculptures at Hôtel Cap-Eden-Roc on the Côte d'Azur.
Which Yinka Shonibare works are included in the exhibition Melting Beauty?
L'Appartement Gallery lists Bronze VIII (Pink, Turquoise & Green) (2022) and Hybrid Mask (Gurunsi) (2023) as Shonibare’s contributions to Melting Beauty, curated by Craig Burnett and running from July 30 to August 31, 2026.
How does Yinka Shonibare collaborate with Dovecot Studios on tapestry?
The City of London Corporation’s August 11, 2026 announcement for Beyond Bayeux: Tapestry Now states that Dovecot has worked with Shonibare on the tapestry Modern Spiritual (Fang Ngil, Kumbaduba), interpreting traditional African masks with complex warp and weave structures.
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.
