Highlighting the impact of immigration on British culture, The British Library is a site-specific installation with a digital platform for visitors to join in the discussion. Open to the public for free as part of Tate Modern’s collection displays.
Tate have acquired the installation The British Library by Yinka Shonibare CBE, originally commissioned by HOUSE 2014 and Brighton Festival and shown in the Old Reference Library at Brighton Museum and Art Gallery. The British Library is a celebration of the diversity of the British population, containing 6,328 books bound in ‘Dutch wax print’, a fabric characteristically used by the artist in his work. The installation, in which the books are arranged on rows of shelves, also contains an area for audiences to access information about the project on tablets. The work has been purchased with Art Fund support and funds provided by the Tate International Council, the Africa Acquisitions Committee, Wendy Fisher and THE EKARD COLLECTION, 2019.
