The diverse selection of objects is culled from Cooper-Hewitt's departments of Product Design and Decorative Arts; Drawings, Prints, and Graphic Design; and Wallcoverings, as well as from the Library's rare book holdings. On display are diaries kept by the Hewitt sisters during their international travels, alongside a sample of some of the treasures they collected as part of the original study collection. Exhibition highlights include whimsical nineteenth-century bird cages, Marmon model cars, 20th Century Limited train brochures, eighteenth-century French illustrations of Chinese boats, Wedgewood porcelain, chinoiserie wall panels, and an Asprey travel box.
Shonibare is a self-described "postcolonial hybrid," born in
London and raised in Nigeria. He often explores the historical integration
of disparate cultures in his sculpture, photography, and, most recently,
film. Through his ironic and highly imaginative combinations of themes
and materials, Shonibare examines cultural stereotypes of class, race,
gender, and identity. A finalist for the 2004 Turner Prize for his exhibition
Double Dutch at the Museum Boijmans Van BeunIngen, Rotterdam, and his
solo show at Stephen Friedman Gallery, London, Shonibare is an artist
of international stature and significance. For Shonibare, travel is a
"fantasy-fulfillment activity, something people do to improve themselves."
Upon viewing this exhibition, Shonibare hopes that Museum viewers will
reflect on their own personal histories and the travel journeys of their
ancestors.
