{"id":27352,"date":"2026-03-06T15:17:56","date_gmt":"2026-03-06T20:17:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gregcookland.com\/wonderland\/?p=27352"},"modified":"2026-03-06T18:00:53","modified_gmt":"2026-03-06T23:00:53","slug":"yinka-shonibare","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gregcookland.com\/wonderland\/2026\/03\/06\/yinka-shonibare\/","title":{"rendered":"Yinka Shonibare: How Do We Offer Compassion To Immigrants And Refugees?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

In a darkened gallery, black-painted model buildings glow from within. Looking in the tiny windows of 18 little buildings\u2014Notre Dame cathedral in Paris, the United Nations skyscraper in New York, buildings from Syria, Mexico, Hawaii, Japan, China, Bangladesh and ancient Greece\u2014one sees walls swirling with Shonibare\u2019s signature colorful African textiles (Dutch wax textiles) that evoke vibrant possibilities within these spaces.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This 2024 installation called \u201cSanctuary City\u201d is the sole focus of the exhibition \u201cYinka Shonibare: Sanctuary,\u201d<\/a> on view at Brandeis University\u2019s Rose Art Museum in Waltham, Massachusetts, from Feb. 11, 2026, to Jan. 3, 2027. (This presentation was organized by Rose Director Gannit Ankori.) <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here is the Underground Railroad stop Peter Mott House in New Jersey; the Chiswick Women\u2019s Aid Refuge, the first in Britain; Notre-Dame cathedral in Paris, which has \u201csheltered plague victims, offered refuge in wartime, and has endured as a symbol of hope and resilience for the French people\u201d; the Buddhist temple T\u014dkei-ji in Japan which has \u201coffered shelter to women fleeing domestic violence\u201d; the Temple of Hephaestus in Athens, Greece, which \u201coffered refuge for the enslaved, debtors, and the oppressed seeking asylum\u201d during ancient times; and H\u00f4tel des Mille Collines, which was a refuge for 1,268 Tutsi and moderate Hutu during the 1994 Rwandan genocide.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The model buildings are intended to represent \u201csites of refuge for persecuted and vulnerable individuals across centuries,\u201d according to the exhibition website\u2014enslaved people seeking freedom, refugees, persecuted religious sects, unhoused people, victims of sex trafficking, domestic violence survivors. It\u2019s part of a career by the British-Nigerian artist, born in London in 1962, challenging the rapacious legacies of European colonialism.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\""Yinka
“Yinka Shonibare: Sanctuary” at Brandeis University\u2019s Rose Art Museum, 2026. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIf you go around London in the past couple of years, you’ll notice that there are many, many more homeless people,\u201d Shonibare told the UK\u2019s London Evening Standard newspaper in 2004<\/a>. \u201cAnd then of course, we’ve had the war in Ukraine, the war in Syria. \u2026 As a result the refugee problem is multiplying and there are people dying at sea. So as a society, how do we deal with that issue?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201c\u2018Sanctuary City\u2019 focuses on places of refuge, highlighting various sanctuaries that offer protection to those displaced by conflict,\u201d Shonibare told the New York quarterly publication Whitewall in 2024<\/a>. \u201cThe installation includes illuminated models of buildings that serve as sanctuaries, such as churches, religious buildings, and other institutions. This work underscores the current global refugee crisis and the importance of compassion and support for displaced individuals. It challenges the increasing hostility towards immigrants and refugees, prompting viewers to reflect on their responsibilities towards those seeking safety. By presenting these sanctuaries, the installation emphasizes the human stories behind displacement and encourages a dialogue about humanitarian aid and the ethics of refuge.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cTracing the concept of sanctuary from ancient temples to modern safe houses, \u2018Sanctuary City\u2019 reflects on the fragility of protection in a time of global displacement, rising nationalism, and humanitarian crisis,\u201d the exhibition website explains. \u201cThe artist notes, shelter is \u201cone of the most pressing political concerns right now,\u201d prompting viewers to consider who is granted safety, who is excluded, and what responsibility societies bear in offering refuge today.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

If this is the kind of coverage of arts, cultures and activisms you appreciate, please support Wonderland by contributing to Wonderland on Patreon<\/a>. And sign up for our free, occasional newsletter<\/a> so that you don’t miss any of our reporting. (All content \u00a9 Greg Cook 2026 or the respective creato<\/em>rs.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Yinka
Yinka Shonibare. (Courtesy Brandeis University\u2019s Rose Art Museum)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Model
Model of Chiswick Women\u2019s Aid Refuge in London (at right) from “Yinka Shonibare: Sanctuary” at Brandeis University\u2019s Rose Art Museum, 2026.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Model
Model of Chinese Methodist Church in Hong Kong from “Yinka Shonibare: Sanctuary” at Brandeis University\u2019s Rose Art Museum, 2026. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Model
Model of Chinese Methodist Church in Hong Kong from “Yinka Shonibare: Sanctuary” at Brandeis University\u2019s Rose Art Museum, 2026. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Model
Model of Amnesty International in London, United Kingdom, from “Yinka Shonibare: Sanctuary” at Brandeis University\u2019s Rose Art Museum, 2026. (Greg Cook photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\""Yinka
“Yinka Shonibare: Sanctuary” at Brandeis University\u2019s Rose Art Museum, 2026.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Model
Model of Amnesty International in London from “Yinka Shonibare: Sanctuary” at Brandeis University\u2019s Rose Art Museum, 2026. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Model
Model of Notre-Dame cathedral in Paris from “Yinka Shonibare: Sanctuary” at Brandeis University\u2019s Rose Art Museum, 2026.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\""Yinka
“Yinka Shonibare: Sanctuary” at Brandeis University\u2019s Rose Art Museum, 2026. (Greg Cook photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Looking
Looking inside model of Temple of Hephaestus in Athens, Greece, from “Yinka Shonibare: Sanctuary” at Brandeis University\u2019s Rose Art Museum, 2026. (Greg Cook photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Model
Model of Notre-Dame cathedral in Paris from “Yinka Shonibare: Sanctuary” at Brandeis University\u2019s Rose Art Museum, 2026. (Greg Cook photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Model
Model of Notre-Dame cathedral in Paris from “Yinka Shonibare: Sanctuary” at Brandeis University\u2019s Rose Art Museum, 2026. (Greg Cook photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Model
Model of Notre-Dame cathedral in Paris from “Yinka Shonibare: Sanctuary” at Brandeis University\u2019s Rose Art Museum, 2026.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Model
Model of United Nations in New York from “Yinka Shonibare: Sanctuary” at Brandeis University\u2019s Rose Art Museum, 2026.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Model
Model of Notre-Dame cathedral in Paris from “Yinka Shonibare: Sanctuary” at Brandeis University\u2019s Rose Art Museum, 2026. (Greg Cook photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Model
Model of United Nations in New York from “Yinka Shonibare: Sanctuary” at Brandeis University\u2019s Rose Art Museum, 2026. (Greg Cook photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Model
Model of T\u014dkei-ji Temple in Japan from “Yinka Shonibare: Sanctuary” at Brandeis University\u2019s Rose Art Museum, 2026. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Model
Model of Bibby Stockholm barge in England from “Yinka Shonibare: Sanctuary” at Brandeis University\u2019s Rose Art Museum, 2026. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Model
Model of BASMAH Shelter (Bangladesh American
Society of Muslim Aid for Humanity) in Bangladesh from “Yinka Shonibare: Sanctuary” at Brandeis University\u2019s Rose Art Museum, 2026. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Model
Model of Beaulieu Abbey in England from “Yinka Shonibare: Sanctuary” at Brandeis University\u2019s Rose Art Museum, 2026.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Model
Model of Arima Boys Government School in Trinidad and Tobago from “Yinka Shonibare: Sanctuary” at Brandeis University\u2019s Rose Art Museum, 2026.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\""Yinka
“Yinka Shonibare: Sanctuary” at Brandeis University\u2019s Rose Art Museum, 2026. (Greg Cook photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Model
Model of Saint Patrick’s Cathedral in Dublin from “Yinka Shonibare: Sanctuary” at Brandeis University\u2019s Rose Art Museum, 2026.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\""Yinka
“Yinka Shonibare: Sanctuary” at Brandeis University\u2019s Rose Art Museum, 2026.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Model
Model of Notre-Dame cathedral in Paris from “Yinka Shonibare: Sanctuary” at Brandeis University\u2019s Rose Art Museum, 2026. (Greg Cook photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Model
Model of Notre-Dame cathedral in Paris from “Yinka Shonibare: Sanctuary” at Brandeis University\u2019s Rose Art Museum, 2026.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Model
Model of Notre-Dame cathedral in Paris from “Yinka Shonibare: Sanctuary” at Brandeis University\u2019s Rose Art Museum, 2026.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\""Yinka
“Yinka Shonibare: Sanctuary” at Brandeis University\u2019s Rose Art Museum, 2026. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In a darkened gallery, black-painted model buildings glow from within. Looking in the tiny windows of 18 little buildings\u2014Notre Dame cathedral in Paris, the United Nations skyscraper in New York, buildings from Syria, Mexico, Hawaii, Japan, China, Bangladesh and ancient Greece\u2014one sees walls swirling with Shonibare\u2019s signature colorful African textiles (Dutch wax textiles) that evoke […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":27216,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[100],"tags":[1295,1359],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gregcookland.com\/wonderland\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27352"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gregcookland.com\/wonderland\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gregcookland.com\/wonderland\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gregcookland.com\/wonderland\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gregcookland.com\/wonderland\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=27352"}],"version-history":[{"count":13,"href":"https:\/\/gregcookland.com\/wonderland\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27352\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":27368,"href":"https:\/\/gregcookland.com\/wonderland\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27352\/revisions\/27368"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gregcookland.com\/wonderland\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/27216"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gregcookland.com\/wonderland\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=27352"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gregcookland.com\/wonderland\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=27352"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gregcookland.com\/wonderland\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=27352"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}