Young guns in charge at Back to Front Weekend

 

Yinka Shonibare
Thursday 29 March 2012 11:50 EDT
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When I was made a Fellow of London's Foundling Museum, I had to present a project. Back to Front Weekend was my idea, in which children take over the running of the museum. The museum was first established as the Foundling Hospital in 1739, Britain's first home for abandoned children.

I am going to be asking children to recreate an 18th-century classroom, where well-known personalities from the art and media worlds will be the adult students and children will be the teachers. The children will also look after the shop and talk about the museum's art collection – all in 18th-century dress.

At lot of my own work is about subverting the establishment, in a playful, provocative way. There is a Gainsborough painting I played around with, Mr and Mrs Andrews. I produced a scupltural version, dressed them in 18th-century costumes made of African textile and then chopped their heads off.

Back to Front Weekend, like all of my work, looks back in history to understand the present.

Back to Front Weekend, Foundling Museum, London WC1 (020 7841 3600) tomorrow until 1 April

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