The British Library is a large and colourful artwork by Yinka Shonibare which comprises a huge collection of specially bound reclaimed books, covered in vibrant Dutchwax fabric and embossed in gold with the names of notable British figures who were born outside the UK or have non-British ancestry.
The volume of books and the number of well-known names is surprising, drawing our attention to the rich and expansive impact migrants have had on British daily life and culture, a debt that sometimes seems overlooked to me.
The boldness of the colours give this library a vibrant character and otherworldly air – it would contrast dramatically with the subdued aged muted volumes that populate the collection of the real British Library.
The colours are appealing and the weight of each tome makes me want to reach out to leaf through it, to get to know the characters that these represent. The books themselves are described as reclaimed – stripped of their covers the library would tell a dramatically different story, but an undoubtedly diverse one in the way that all library collections are.
It’s important that the objects are books, as it is no stretch to imagine these as biographies or accounts of the individuals named on their spines.
The British Library is part of the Tate collection, and as of the time of writing is on display at the Tate Modern. The artwork was previously exhibited as part of the Diaspora Pavillion at the Venice Biennale.
Further reading:
Yinka Shonibare MBE by Rachel Ken, Prestel, 2013
Items in the shop:
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Mrs Dalloway Variations #1 and #2£4.00 -
The Library of Chance Encounter£15.00 -
Lives and Books£5.00
