Globalization in the 21st century has created a far more interconnected world, through the access of not just goods and people, but information and ideas at an instantaneous speed. For example, globalization has allowed people from all over the world to not just try pizza and have access to iPhones, but also to K-Pop, World Cup games, and be involved in climate change activism. Globalization as a whole has allowed for mass global culture to proliferate and for people from different parts of the world to become closely connected.
The Swing by Yinka Shonibare represents modern globalization because as a recreation of The Swing by Fragonard, it depicts a woman on a swing with her shoe flying in the air; however, the African fabrics that the woman wears are originally based on South East Asian designs and were made in Western Europe before traveling to Africa to be sold. By doing so, the work provokes a conversation about authenticity with regards to representing different cultures and people. Hence, by making a variation on a famous Rococo painting to illustrate the impact of colonization on African culture and design, the work represents how globalization today has allowed artists to reinterpret and understand different works of art in new contexts.
A wonderful example and beautiful sculpture!