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Hibiscus Rising

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Coordinates: 53°47′33″N 1°32′31″W / 53.79250°N 1.54194°W / 53.79250; -1.54194
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Hibiscus Rising
ArtistYinka Shonibare
Year2023
SubjectDavid Oluwale
Dimensions950 cm (370 in)
LocationLeeds
Coordinates53°47′33″N 1°32′31″W / 53.79250°N 1.54194°W / 53.79250; -1.54194

Hibiscus Rising (2023) is an outdoor sculpture in Leeds, England, by artist Yinka Shonibare which was unveiled on 24 November 2023[1] as part of LEEDS 2023. It commemorates the life and death of David Oluwale, a British-Nigerian man whose death in 1969 involved two members of Leeds City Police. Commissioned by LEEDS 2023 and the David Oluwale Memorial Association (DOMA), in partnership with Leeds City Council, the sculpture is, according to academic Dr Emily Zobel Marshall the first public artwork in the city to reflect its cultural diversity.

Background

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David Oluwale (1930–1969) was a British Nigerian who was drowned in the River Aire in Leeds, West Riding of Yorkshire, in 1969. The events leading to his drowning have been described as "the physical and psychological destruction of a homeless, black man whose brutal, systematic harassment was orchestrated by members of the Leeds city police force".[2] This culminated in his death by drowning: two independent witnesses testified that they saw uniformed police officers chasing a man who could well have been Oluwale close to the river on the night he is believed to have drowned.[3]

The officers involved were convicted, marking the first time that British police had been held responsible for involvement in the death of a black person.[4][5] The David Oluwale Memorial Association (DOMA) was established as a charity in 2012 (although it had been first convened as a community committee at Leeds Beckett University in 2007). Its goals are to help people remember David Oluwale's experience in Leeds and to educate and campaign for social justice for migrants, the homeless, people with mental health issues and people subjected to racism or police malpractice.[6][7]

Yinka Shonibare CBE RA, Cllr Abigail Marshall-Katung and Dr Emily Zobel Marshall from DOMA in front of Hibiscus Rising

The sculpture was the result of many years of campaigning and fundraising by the David Oluwale Memorial Association.[8] It was supported by Leeds City Council and the commissioning and construction was supported by LEEDS 2023, as part of the year of culture. Donors included the Art Fund, Arts Council England,[8] David Lascelles and Diane Howse, Earl and Countess of Harewood, the Scurrah–Wainwright Trust,[9] and the Henry Moore Foundation,[8] as well as a gala dinner and members of the public donating via a crowdfunder appeal.[10] The Art Fund's support included a £200,000 grant.[11][12] An accompanying engagement programme was supported by a National Lottery Heritage Fund award of £48,588.[13]

Location

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Hibiscus Rising sculpture from above, showing Aire Park

Sited in Meadow Lane in Aire Park, the sculpture was unveiled as part of LEEDS 2023, the city's unofficial year of culture.[14][8] The sculpture is 9.5 metres (31 ft) tall.[15] Its depicts a giant hibiscus flower, whose surface is decorated with wax-cloth inspired designs.[16]

Aire Park is close to the David Oluwale footbridge over the River Aire, as well as Leeds Bridge, where a blue plaque also commemorates David Oluwale.[17]

Conception

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Hibiscus Rising sculpture from above

The David Oluwale Memorial Association's concept was to create a memorial garden for David Oluwale with a sculpture that would inspire "conscience, altruism and hope".[18] Their brief to Yinka Shonibare outlined a meeting place that would be playful and attractive to everyone. When discussing the ideas behind the sculpture, Shonibare said that he wanted to focus on joy and healing as themes, rather than the circumstances of Oluwale's death. Drawing on a childhood in Nigeria where hibiscus flowers were commonplace, Shonibare felt that the associations of the flower with "beauty, love, empathy, passion" were fitting.[8] The flower is covered with brightly coloured batik-inspired patterns, which are a common motif in Shonibare's works.[19][20] Further inspiration for the work came from Maya Angelou's poem "Still I Rise".[21]

The maquette for the sculpture was previously displayed in an exhibition at The Tetley from September 2022 to January 2023. This exhibition took place after the maquette had featured in a city-wide engagement programme led by DOMA.[22] The maquette is now located in Leeds City Museum.

Reception

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Yoruba group dancing in front of Hibiscus Rising sculpture at launch weekend
Blue plaque commemorating David Oluwale on Leeds bridge, on launch weekend of Hibiscus Rising

Co-chair of the David Oluwale Memorial Association, Emily Zobel Marshall, described the sculpture as the first public work in the city that "reflects the cultural diversity of our people".[23] She also described it as "our Angel of the North ... a landmark sculpture."[8]

During the development of the scheme, researcher and co-secretary to DOMA Max Farrar described the reasons for Oluwale's memorialisation in the following terms:

David Oluwale is not to be one of those working class people who are 'hidden from history'. He is to be remembered as both victim and agent, a man who struggled perpetually against insuperable odds to make a good life as a migrant to Britain.

— Max Farrar, Remembering David Oluwale, Leeds African Studies Bulletin no. 78[24]

Previous efforts to commemorate David Oluwale by Leeds Civic Trust's Blue Plaque scheme were vandalised in a racially motivated attack.[21][25][26] The David Oluwale footbridge was unveiled after this event.[27]

References

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  1. ^ Airey, Tom (24 November 2023). "Leeds: David Oluwale flower sculpture unveiled in city centre". Retrieved 7 April 2024.
  2. ^ Sim, J. (4 November 2009). "Review: The Hounding of David Oluwale. By K. Aspden (London: Vintage, 2008, 255 pp. 7.99 pbk)". British Journal of Criminology. 50 (1): 158–161. doi:10.1093/bjc/azp073. ISSN 0007-0955.
  3. ^ Athwal, Harmit (3 May 2007). "The Hounding of David Oluwale". Institute of Race Relations. Archived from the original on 5 February 2012. Retrieved 6 January 2016.
  4. ^ Athwal, Harmit (18 October 2010). "The racism that kills". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 24 February 2024.
  5. ^ "Remembering David Oluwale". The Justice Gap. Archived from the original on 3 May 2014. Retrieved 31 January 2015.
  6. ^ Farrar, Max (2017). "Remembering David Oluwale | Centre for African Studies (LUCAS)". lucas.leeds.ac.uk. Retrieved 3 January 2024.
  7. ^ Farrar, Max (2018) ‘David Oluwale: making his memory and debating his martyrdom’, Chapter 9 in Quentin Outram and Keith Laybourn (eds) (2018)  Secular Martyrdom in Britain and Ireland — From Peterloo to the Present, London: Palgrave. / Retrieved 15 January 2024
  8. ^ a b c d e f Vinter, Robyn (24 November 2023). "'This is going to be our Angel of the North': Leeds unveils Yinka Shonibare sculpture". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2 January 2024.
  9. ^ A memory garden for David Oluwale: What does Leeds think? (PDF). Leeds: David Oluwale Memorial Association. 2022. p. 40.
  10. ^ Africanvoice (8 November 2023). "The Hibiscus Rising Gala Dinner: A Night of Remembrance and Optimism". African Voice Newspaper. Retrieved 3 January 2024.
  11. ^ "Hibiscus Rising: The power of public art". ArtsProfessional. 28 November 2023. Retrieved 2 January 2024.
  12. ^ "Help us create a beautiful space for Yinka Shonibare's Hibiscus Rising, remembering David Oluwale". Art Fund. Retrieved 2 January 2024.
  13. ^ "Hibiscus Rising: celebrating cultural heritage inspired by the legacy of David Oluwale | The National Lottery Heritage Fund". www.heritagefund.org.uk. 22 November 2023. Retrieved 2 January 2024.
  14. ^ "New sculpture 'Hibiscus Rising' unveiled in Aire Park". South Leeds Life (Press release). 24 November 2023. Retrieved 2 January 2024.
  15. ^ "Leeds: David Oluwale flower sculpture unveiled in city centre". BBC News. 24 November 2023. Retrieved 2 January 2024.
  16. ^ "Date set for David Oluwale memorial sculpture unveiling". BBC News. 19 October 2023. Retrieved 5 January 2024.
  17. ^ "Leeds man admits destroying David Oluwale blue plaque". BBC News. 14 June 2023. Retrieved 16 January 2024.
  18. ^ Farrar, Max, 2017, ’A Memorial Garden for David Oluwale: Who? Why? And how?’ In Moving Worlds, A Journal of Transcultural Writings, Volume 17 Number 1,
  19. ^ Adeboye, Joy (27 November 2023). "Yinka Shonibare's Hibiscus Rising Was Launched in Leeds, England". Art News Africa. Retrieved 2 January 2024.
  20. ^ "Podcast | A brush with... Yinka Shonibare". The Art Newspaper – International art news and events. 13 September 2023. Retrieved 3 January 2024.
  21. ^ a b "Leeds: First look at David Oluwale memorial sculpture". BBC News. 4 September 2022. Retrieved 3 January 2024.
  22. ^ Shonibare, Yinka. "Hibiscus Rising: creating a memorial for David Oluwale". yinkashonibare.com. Retrieved 2 January 2024.
  23. ^ Farrar, Max (2016–2017). "Yinka Shonibare unveils 9m tall sculpture in memory of David Oluwale in Leeds Aire Park as a symbol of 'unity'". Archived from the original on 2 January 2024. Retrieved 2 January 2024.
  24. ^ "Remembering David Oluwale | Centre for African Studies (LUCAS)". lucas.leeds.ac.uk. Retrieved 5 January 2024.
  25. ^ "David Oluwale Theft – Leeds Civic Trust". Leeds Civic Trust. Retrieved 5 January 2024.
  26. ^ Siddique, Haroon (26 April 2022). "David Oluwale: blue plaque for victim of police racism stolen hours after unveiling". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 16 January 2024.
  27. ^ "David Oluwale: Leeds bridge remembering race harassment victim opened". BBC News. 26 January 2023. Retrieved 16 January 2024.
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