A majestic hand-painted fiberglass sculpture by Yinka Shonibare MBE, which captures the movement of thin cotton fabric billowing from a bolt, has been installed as part of the campus-wide sculpture garden of Sheldon Museum of Art at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln.

“‘Wind Sculpture III’ is an impactful addition to the UNL campus. The location of the work, at the nexus of the city and the campus, is an ideal place for inquiry and dialogue,” said Wally Mason, director of Sheldon Museum of Art. “The billowing, colorful bolt of fabric, which is as kinetic as it is exotic, poses questions about race, class, and globalization. Much like the Oldenburg in a similar location, the scale and action of the Shonibare work give rise to engagement from multiple vantage points and perspectives.” “Wind Sculpture III” is located on the UNL City Campus at 19th Street and North Antelope Valley Parkway.

The surface pattern of the work is derived from colorful Dutch wax fabrics that have become a sign of cultural pride and identity for many Africans. Such fabrics are a colonial invention, however, having been mass-produced in Southeast Asia and exported by the Netherlands since the mid-nineteenth century. The form of the 20-foot-tall sculpture references the sails of the ships that once transported the fabrics, expressing the complexity of cultural and national identity within contexts of globalization.

Shonibare was born in London and moved to Lagos, Nigeria, at the age of three. He returned to London to study fine art at the Byam Shaw School of Art (now Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design) and Goldsmiths College, where he received his MFA, graduating as part of the “Young British Artists” generation. He currently lives and works in the East End of London.