Yinka Shonibare

Shonibare's signature is brightly colored batik fabric, used to dress figures from European history so that colonial history and today's globalized culture collide in a single costume. The British-Nigerian artist's headless figures are witty first and pointed second, which is why they work so well in historic museums. The clearest example is in London right now: the National Gallery shows his Mr and Mrs Andrews without their Heads (1998) beside the Gainsborough painting it answers, until February 7, 2027. In the US, Sanctuary at Brandeis University's Rose Art Museum runs until January 3, 2027, with the American debut of his installation Sanctuary City.