Yinka Shonibare is a multimedia artist whose work examines race, class, and cultural identity. The wax-print fabric used in Homeless Child 3 and seen in many of his other works is made with an Indonesian technique, manufactured in England and Holland (and, increasingly, China), and exported to West African nations. For Shonibare, this fabric—wrongly commercialized as African—is a comment on globalization and the meaning of authenticity.

Shonibare was born in London and moved to Lagos, Nigeria, at the age of three, then returned to London again as a teenager. At age eighteen he contracted transverse myelitis, an inflammation of the spinal cord, resulting in the paralysis of one side of his body. He has described how this experience shaped his approach to his art: “I was determined that the scope of my creativity should not be restricted purely by my physicality. It would be like an architect choosing to build only what could be physically built by hand.” His complex, large-scale sculptures rely upon a network of assistants to take shape—a fact that he discusses openly, emphasizing its continuity with the long tradition of artists collaborating with studio staff.

Yinka Shonibare (born 1962), Homeless Child 3. Mannequin, Dutch wax-printed textile, fiberglass, globe head, steel base plate, and leather suitcases, 2012. 106 1/16 x 25 3/16 x 39 1/8 in. (269.4 x 64.0 x 99.4 cm). Gift of The Georgia Welles Apollo Society, 2013.32. Not on view.*