The statues of Queen Victoria, Winston Churchill and Sir Charles Napier are impressive in Dutch wax fabric but stripped of the bronze, marble and strength.

Turner Prize-nominated artist Yinka Shonibare’s intention is to say we should question colonial history, not overturn it.

He told Sky News: “I personally think, you know, you shouldn’t knock statues down. I think, just like you wouldn’t go into a library and start burning all the books that you didn’t burn.” Dislike .

“I don’t think you can erase history.”

Shonibare’s nuanced perspective comes amid fierce debate over the role of statues, from Oxford colonialist Cecil Lords to 17th-century slave traders Edward Colston – whose statue was toppled and rolled into Bristol Harbor during Black Lives Matter protests in 2020.

“I think the best thing is to create a platform where people can actually have debate, have dialogue. We also know that people in the 19th century had different values.

“They’re a different person now. So I don’t think we can necessarily conflate the 19th century with us. So I think we need some perspective. But we shouldn’t erase history, I think.”

In a new exhibition at London’s Serpentine Gallery, The Suspended State, the artist examines the impact of imperial ambition.

More than 5,000 books make up a work called the War Library, all covered in Shonibare’s signature Dutch wax fabric.

On the spine, he wrote the names of global conflicts and peace treaties from the 7th century to the present day.

One of them, called Operation Grapes of Wrath, was the 1996 Israeli operation against Hezbollah.

Another headline read “War in Gaza,” but Shonibar said he was not taking sides or speaking specifically to the issues of the day.

Instead, he attempts to show history repeating itself.

“The idea is to remind people that we were actually here before and we have always had these peace treaties. Why do we, as humans, why do we continue to do this?

“That’s a question we need to ask ourselves.”

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He said the purpose of the artwork was to archive and remind people that “maybe you should start doing something about this to stop this”.

Part of the exhibition recreates buildings that have historically provided safe places for vulnerable people, including Notre Dame Cathedral, Chiswick Women’s Refuge and the United Nations Headquarters – all of which are miniature buildings whose only color is Dutch fabric illuminated from within.

For Nigerian-born artists’ rhetoric surrounding refugees, e.g. British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak Making immigration crossing one of his five priorities is controversial.

“I don’t buy into the ‘stop the boats’ thing because we may experience natural disasters here. We may seek shelter elsewhere. So we have to be compassionate.”

“We live in a very wealthy country and I think housing should be our number one priority.

“I think that’s how you really start to address some of the basic social issues we face…With housing, you can get a job. You can actually contribute to the economy.”

Conflict, refugees and our colonial history, Shonibare’s exhibition themes are poignant and topical, yet beautifully dressed up.

The “Pause” event will be held at Serpentine South from April 12 to September 1.