Yinka Shonibare: Nelson's Ship in a Bottle
On 24 May 2010, artist Yinka Shonibare unveiled Nelson鈥檚 Ship in a Bottle, on the fourth plinth in London鈥檚 Trafalgar Square.
On 24 May 2010, artist Yinka Shonibare unveiled Nelson鈥檚 Ship in a Bottle, on the fourth plinth in London鈥檚 Trafalgar Square.
The piece was the world鈥檚 largest ship in a bottle, but it wasn鈥檛 just any vessel.
It was a replica of HMS Victory, commanded by Admiral Lord Nelson in the Battle of Trafalgar, except Yinka had made an eye-catching change.
The ship鈥檚 plain sails had been replaced with colourful Dutch wax sails. Dutch wax is a fabric typically sold in West Africa.
Yinka鈥檚 work captivated crowds and left people wondering what it meant.
鈥淪ome people were like 鈥榦h great we are celebrating Britishness. Fantastic鈥�, and then some other groups said 鈥極h this is a critique of Britain. Fantastic鈥�. I love it when the work does that!鈥�, says Yinka.
He tells Anoushka Mutanda-Dougherty how his artwork was created and what it means to him.
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