Ilhas Studio — Safiotra [Hybridités/Hybridities]
Catalogue for the exhibition Safiotra [Hybridities] by Yinka Shonibare.
In April 2025, Fondation H in Antananarivo, Madagascar, invited British-Nigerian artist Yinka Shonibare for a carte blanche titled Safiotra [Hybridities], marking his first major exhibition on the African continent.
The Malagasy word safiotra evokes the idea of hybridity: the meeting of distinct elements that form something new without erasing their differences. Applied to people, it describes mixed heritage as coexistence rather than division; more broadly, it speaks to objects, ideas, and forms shaped by converging realities. Hybridity lies at the heart of Shonibare’s practice. Born in London and raised in Nigeria, he continuously explores the intersections of cultures, geographies, and colonial histories, weaving Western and African references into a single, questioning language.
The catalogue takes Safiotra as both its title and guiding principle, drawing from Shonibare’s vast body of work. Conceived as a milestone publication, accompanying his largest exhibition to date on the African continent, it reflects the artist’s long and prolific career. The cover embodies this fusion without borders: holographic paper stamped with the outline of Refugee Astronaut X, one of Shonibare’s most ironic works, invites the reader into his bold universe.
Inside, the catalogue unfolds in sections marked by subtle colour gradients, suggesting meeting tides, texts in dialogue, images echoing one another across the pages.
The cover, in holographic paper, is stamped with the outline of Refugee Astronaut X, one of Shonibare’s most ironic works.
