‘We should not erase history’: Yinka Shonibare on his new exhibition and the impact of imperial ambition
Queen Victoria, Winston Churchill and Sir Charles Napier statues are dressed to impress in Dutch wax fabrics but stripped of their bronze, marble and their power.
An intention of Turner Prize-nominated artist Yinka Shonibare, who says we should question colonial history – not topple it.
He told Sky News: “I personally don’t think that, you know, you should be pulling statues down. I think that, in the same way that you wouldn’t go into a library and start burning all the books you didn’t like.
“I don’t think you can erase history.”
Shonibare’s nuanced view comes at a time when there is vociferous debate on the role statues play, from colonialist Cecil Rhodes at an Oxford college to 17th-century slave merchant Edward Colston – whose statue was pulled down in 2020 and rolled into Bristol harbour during a Black Lives Matter protest.
Sculptures made of fibreglass and hand painted by Yinka Shonibare. Pic: AP
“I think that, the best thing to do is to create platforms in which people can actually have a debate to have a conversation. We also know that a person of the 19th century has different values.
“They’re not the same as a person now. And so I think that we can’t necessarily conflate the 19th century with us. So I think we need some perspective. I think that, but we should not, erase history.”
In his new exhibition Suspended States at London’s Serpentine Gallery, the artist looks at the impact of imperial ambition.
Winston Churchill by Yinka Shonibare. Pic: AP
More than 5,000 books make a piece called The War Library, all covered in Shonibare’s signature Dutch wax fabrics.
On the spines, he’s written names of global conflicts and peace treaties from the 7th century to the present day.
One is titled Operation Grapes Of Wrath, a 1996 Israeli operation against Hezbollah.
Another is titled Gaza War, but Shonibare says he’s not taking sides or speaking on contemporaneous issues specifically.
The artist looks at the impact of imperial ambition in new exhibition
Instead he’s trying to show history repeating itself.
“The idea there is to remind people that we’ve actually been here before, and we keep having these peace treaties. Why do we, as human beings, why do we keep doing that?
“It’s a question we need to ask ourselves.”
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He said the aim of the artwork was to archive and to remind people that “perhaps you ought to start doing something about this to kind of stop this”.
Part of the exhibition recreates buildings that have historically been safe places for the vulnerable including Notre Dame, Chiswick Women’s Refuge and United Nations headquarters – all in miniature, with the only colour being Dutch fabrics illuminated inside.
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For the Nigerian-born artist rhetoric around refugees, like British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak making migrant crossings one of his five priorities, is at odds.
“Phrases like ‘stop the boats’ is not something that I’m sympathetic with because we may go through a natural disaster here. We may be seeking refuge elsewhere. So we do have to be compassionate.
“We live in a very rich country, and I think housing should be at the top of our list.
“And I think that’s how you actually start to tackle some of the fundamental, social problems that we have… with housing, then, you can get a job. You can actually contribute to the economy.”
Pic: AP
Conflict, refugees and our colonial history, Shonibare’s exhibition themes are hard-hitting and topical but all beautifully dressed.
Suspended States is on at the Serpentine South from 12 April to 1 September.
Despite The Who’s Quadrophenia being set over 60 years ago, Pete Townshend’s themes of identity, mental health, and modern masculinity are just as relevant today.
The album is having a renaissance as Pete Townshend’s Quadrophenia A Mod ballet is being brought to life via dance at Sadler’s Wells East, and Sky News has an exclusive first look.
As Townshend puts it, the album he wrote is “perfect” for the stage.
Pete Townshend
“My wife Rachel did the orchestration for me, and as soon as I heard it I said to her it would make a fabulous ballet and we never really let that go,” he tells Sky News.
“Heavy percussion, concussive sequences. They’re explosive moments. They’re also romantic movement moments.”
If you identify with the demographics of Millennial, Gen Y or Gen Z, you might not be familiar with The Who and Mod culture.
But in post-war Britain the Mods were a cultural phenomenon characterised by fashion, music, and of course, scooters. The young rebels were seen as a counter-culture to the establishment and The Who, with Roger Daltry’s lead vocals and Pete Townshend’s writing, were the soundtrack.
Quadrophenia the album is widely regarded as an essay on the British adolescent experience at the time, focusing on the life of fictional protagonist Jimmy – a young Mod struggling with his sanity, self-doubt, and alienation.
Townshend sets the rock opera in 1965 but thinks its themes of identity, mental health, and modern masculinity are just as relevant today.
He says: “The phobias and the restrictions and the unwritten laws about how young men should behave. The ground that they broke, that we broke because I was a part of it.
“Men were letting go of [the] wartime-related, uniform-related stance that if I wear this kind of outfit it makes me look like a man.”
Paris Fitzpatrick and Pete Townshend. Pic: Johan Persson
This struggle of modern masculinity and identity appears to be echoing today as manosphere influencers like Andrew Tate, incel culture, and Netflix’s Adolescence make headlines.
For dancer Paris Fitzpatrick, who takes on the lead role of Jimmy, the story resonates.
Paris Fitzpatrick, who takes on the lead role of Jimmy in the ballet
“I think there’s a connection massively and I think there may even be a little more revival in some way,” he tells Sky News.
“I love that myself. I love non-conforming to gender norms and typical masculinity; I think it’s great to challenge things.”
Despite the album being written before he was born, the dancer says he was familiar with the genre already.
“I actually did an art GCSE project about Mods and rockers and Quadrophenia,” he says.
“I think we’ll be able to bring it to new audiences and hopefully, maybe people will be inspired to to learn more about their music and the whole cultural movement of the early 60s.”
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In 1979, the album was adapted into a film directed by Franc Roddam starring Ray Winstone and Sting but Townshend admits because the film missed key points he is “not a big fan”.
“What it turned out to be in the movie was a story about culture, about social scenario and less about really the specifics of mental illness and how that affects young people,” he adds, also complimenting Roddam’s writing for the film.
Perhaps a testament to Pete Townshend’s creativity, Quadrophenia started as an album, was successfully adapted to film and now it will hit the stage as a contemporary ballet.
It appears that over six decades later Mod culture is still cool and their issues still relatable.
Quadrophenia, a Mod Ballet will tour to Plymouth Theatre Royal from 28 May to 1 June 2025, Edinburgh Festival Theatre from 10 to 14 June 2025 and the Mayflower, Southampton from 18 to 21 June 2025 before having its official opening at Sadler’s Wells Theatre, London on 24 June running to 13 July 2025 and then visiting The Lowry, Salford from 15 to 19 July 2025.
Russell Brand has been charged with rape and two counts of sexual assault between 1999 and 2005.
The Metropolitan Police say the 50-year-old comedian, actor and author has also been charged with one count of oral rape and one count of indecent assault.
The charges relate to four women.
He is due to appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Friday 2 May.
Police have said Brand is accused of raping a woman in the Bournemouth area in 1999 and indecently assaulting a woman in the Westminster area of London in 2001.
He is also accused of orally raping and sexually assaulting a woman in Westminster in 2004.
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Ashna Hurynag discusses Russell Brand’s charges
The fourth charge alleges that a woman was sexually assaulted in Westminster between 2004 and 2005.
Police began investigating Brand, from Oxfordshire, in September 2023 after receiving a number of allegations.
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The comedian has denied the accusations and said he has “never engaged in non-consensual activity”.
He added in a video on X: “Of course, I am now going to have the opportunity to defend these charges in court, and I’m incredibly grateful for that.”
Metropolitan Police Detective Superintendent Andy Furphy, who is leading the investigation, said: “The women who have made reports continue to receive support from specially trained officers.
“The Met’s investigation remains open and detectives ask anyone who has been affected by this case, or anyone who has any information, to come forward and speak with police.”
Tom Cruise has paid tribute to Val Kilmer, wishing his Top Gun co-star “well on the next journey”.
Cruise, speaking at the CinemaCon film event in Las Vegas on Thursday, asked for a moment’s silence to reflect on the “wonderful” times shared with the star, whom he called a “dear friend”.
Kilmer, who died of pneumonia on Tuesday aged 65, rocketed to fame starring alongside Cruise in the 1986 blockbuster Top Gun, playing Tom ‘Iceman’ Kazansky, a rival fighter pilot to Cruise’s character Maverick.
Tom Cruise said ‘I wish you well on the next journey’. Pic: AP
Val Kilmer in 2017. Pic: AP
His last part was a cameo role in the 2022 blockbuster sequel Top Gun: Maverick.
Cruise, on stage at Caesars Palace on Thursday, said: “I’d like to honour a dear friend of mine, Val Kilmer. I can’t tell you how much I admire his work, how grateful and honoured I was when he joined Top Gun and came back later for Top Gun: Maverick.
“I think it would be really nice if we could have a moment together because he loved movies and he gave a lot to all of us. Just kind of think about all the wonderful times that we had with him.
“I wish you well on the next journey.”
The moment of silence followed a string of tributes from Hollywood figures including Cher, Francis Ford Coppola, Antonio Banderas and Michelle Monaghan.
Kilmer’s daughter Mercedes told the New York Times on Wednesday that the actor had died from pneumonia.
Tom Cruise at Caesars Palace on Thursday. Pic: AP
Diagnosed with throat cancer in 2014, Kilmer discussed his illness and recovery in his 2020 memoir Your Huckleberry and Amazon Prime documentary Val.
He underwent radiation and chemotherapy treatments for the disease and also had a tracheostomy which damaged his vocal cords and permanently gave him a raspy speaking voice.
Kilmer played Batman in the 1995 film Batman Forever and received critical acclaim for his portrayal of rock singer Jim Morrison in the 1991 movie The Doors.
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He also starred in True Romance and Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, as well as playing criminal Chris Shiherlis in Michael Mann’s 1995 movie Heat and Doc Holliday in the 1993 film Tombstone.
In 1988 he married British actress Joanne Whalley, whom he met while working on fantasy adventure Willow.
The couple had two children before divorcing in 1996.
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