Reconstructing Identity and Representation: Yinka Shonibare’s Postcolonial Art Strategies

Yıl 2025, Cilt: 10 Sayı: 18, 20 - 44, 30.06.2025

Hanife Neris Yüksel

https://doi.org/10.55004/tykhe.1526394

Öz

This study investigates the active role of postcolonial art in challenging hegemonic Western representational forms, with a particular focus on Yinka Shonibare’s artistic strategies. It dissects how art shapes postcolonial identity and representation within historical and cultural contexts. The study underscores that postcolonial art is not a passive critique of the past, but a dynamic force that actively shapes contemporary artistic and social dynamics. The article zooms in on Shonibare’s works, such as Diary of a Victorian Dandy, The Swing (After Fragonard), and Nelson’s Ship in a Bottle, which stand out for their ironic and critical approach to Western art history. Shonibare's use of Batik fabrics, headless figures, and historical references serves to destabilize Western-centric identity constructs and accentuate cultural hybridity. These works serve as aesthetic interventions and conceptual critiques of identity, belonging, and representation in art. Moreover, the study delves into the transformative power of Shonibare’s artistic practice in contemporary art politics, exploring how it dismantling Western representations and develops alternative narratives. It argues that postcolonial art is not just a tool for revisiting historical narratives, but a key player in the transformation of contemporary representational systems. In this light, Shonibare’s artistic production is seen as both a challenge to artistic traditions and an opportunity to ponder new forms of identity and representation.

Anahtar Kelimeler

Postcolonial art , Yinka Shinobare , Hegemonik representation , Re-narration of identy , Western realism

Kimlik ve Temsilin Yeniden İnşası: Yinka Shonibare’nin Postkolonyal Sanat Stratejileri

Öz

Bu çalışma, postkolonyal sanatın hegemonik Batılı temsil biçimlerine meydan okuma konusundaki etkin rolünü incelemekte ve özellikle Yinka Shonibare’nin sanatsal stratejilerine odaklanmaktadır. Sanatın, postkolonyal kimlik ve temsili nasıl şekillendirdiği, tarihsel ve kültürel bağlamlar içinde ele alınmaktadır. Çalışma, postkolonyal sanatın yalnızca geçmişin edilgen bir eleştirisi olmadığını, aksine çağdaş sanatsal ve toplumsal dinamikleri aktif olarak şekillendiren güçlü bir unsur olduğunu vurgulamaktadır. Makale, Shonibare’nin Viktorya Dönemi Züppesinin Günlüğü, Salıncak – Fragonard’dan Sonra ve Nelson’ın Şişedeki Gemisi gibi eserlerine odaklanarak, sanatçının Batı sanat tarihine yönelik ironik ve eleştirel yaklaşımını öne çıkarmaktadır. Shonibare’nin batik kumaşlar, başsız figürler ve tarihsel referanslar kullanımı, Batı merkezli kimlik inşalarının istikrarını sarsarken kültürel melezliği vurgulamaktadır. Bu eserler, yalnızca estetik müdahaleler değil, aynı zamanda sanatta kimlik, aidiyet ve temsile dair kavramsal eleştiriler olarak da işlev görmektedir. Bunun yanı sıra çalışma, Shonibare’nin sanatsal pratiğinin çağdaş sanat politikalarındaki dönüştürücü gücünü inceleyerek Batılı temsillerin nasıl yapısöküme uğratıldığını ve alternatif anlatıların nasıl geliştirildiğini araştırmaktadır. Postkolonyal sanatın yalnızca tarihsel anlatıları yeniden değerlendirmek için bir araç olmadığı, aynı zamanda çağdaş temsil sistemlerinin dönüşümünde kilit bir rol oynadığı öne sürülmektedir. Bu bağlamda, Shonibare’nin sanatsal üretimi hem sanatsal geleneklere bir meydan okuma hem de yeni kimlik ve temsil biçimleri üzerine düşünme fırsatı sunan bir alan olarak değerlendirilmektedir.

Anahtar Kelimeler

Postkolonyal sanat , Yinka Shonibare , Hegomenik temsil , Kimliğin yeniden anlatımı , Batılı gerçekçilik

Kaynakça

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