Yinka Shonibare, shortlisted for the Turner Prize in 2004, is the first artist in a new project initiated by Ralph Rugoff, director of the Hayward Gallery, in which artists are invited to create a flag that will fly from the 100-foot high flagpole at the edge of Jubilee Gardens, opposite the Houses of Parliament. The project provides a platform for international artists to reflect on ideas associated with flags, from patriotism and national identity to pageantry and celebration.
The project was unveiled last week with Yinka Shonibare's plain white flag symbolizing both peace and surrender. The flag, which hangs at half-mast, questions the world's current attitude towards peace and suggests a peace that is either not yet fully recognised, or in a state of mourning.
Dafydd Jones photographed Yinka Shonibare in his London studio shortly before the unveiling of his most recent project last week.
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