Shonibare was born to Nigerian parents in London and brought up in Lagos. He returned to London to attend the Byam Shaw School of Art from 1986 to 1989 and to read for a master of fine arts at Goldsmith's College, University of London, from 1989 to 1991. Since 1989, Shonibare has enjoyed great success in the British contemporary art scene, securing a number of solo exhibitions and participating in many group shows in both Britain and abroad.

19th Century Kid (Queen Victoria)
1999
Cotton, synthetic cloth, wood, metal, leather
H. 158 (62 3/16 in.)
2000-6-1, museum purchase
(on view September 2001-January 2002)

Shonibare purchases Dutch wax print fabric in African and diaspora marketplaces for use in his sculptures and installation pieces. These cloths often feature designs celebrating local political, cultural and sports figures. The artist sees the cloth as both a potent byproduct of the colonial period and a vehicle for post-colonial expressions of racial pride, nationalism and resistance.

This work is part of a recent project in which he features well-known Victorian figures as children. It playfully addresses the use of African cloth as a diasporic identity marker and as a reminder of the imperialist agenda that supported the extravagances and mores of Victorian society. By reducing these famous figures to innocent children playing dress-up atop tables, Shonibare further highlights the absurdities of the Victorian culture that gave birth to its accompanying marketplaces and visual imagery.