Yinka Shonibare’s “Garden of Love” exhibition inextricably links the artist’s two cultures of origin, leading us to reflect on the issues of identity and history. It is the continuation of a project that the artist began when the Tate Modern acquired Fragonard’s L'escarpolette and represents a parody of rococo imagery in the form of a “garden of love.” As the exhibition unfolds, it recreates the idea of the labyrinth and the playful discovery of the three love scenes. The musée du quai Branly installation presents three groups that mirror the composition of Fragonard’s series of paintings, “The Progress of Love,” originally made for Madame du Barry's property in Louveciennes:

The figures are arranged according to the codes, layout and vegetation that governed the disposition of 18th century French gardens. The figures, in fact, are life-sized headless dummies dressed in 18th century fashion, but which uses “wax print” fabrics treasured by contemporary Africans. The non-aggressive and witty way in which Yinka Shonibare treats his subject causes the anachronism to be all the more troubling. Behind the humour lies the insidious violence of a cold indictment.

The installation underscores the idea that the slave trade encouraged the carefree, libertine, free-spirited and opulent lifestyle associated with the French aristocracy. In the thought-provoking words of the artist: “there is always a price for your pleasure.” It also establishes an underlying relationship between the desire to control nature, expressed in the art of gardening in the 18th century, and the desire to “civilise the savages.” It also questions the consequences of colonialism in today’s world, in particular concerning the Diaspora.