David Oluwale Memorial Association T-Shirt by Yinka Shonibare CBE (RA)

As part of our continued partnership with the David Oluwale Memorial Association (DOMA) we're very proud to present this collaboration t-shirt featuring the artwork of internationally renowned artist Yinka Shonibare CBE RA. 

The presented text below is sourced from both DOMA and Yinka Shonibare's websites we hope this extra information will guide you to learning more about Yinka's work, DOMA's efforts and most importantly David's story.

Yinka Shinbare's Design

DOMA

Listed in the register of charities as The David Oluwale Memorial Association (DOMA), offers a positive response to David Oluwale’s story that returns to David’s hopeful start. DOMA acknowledges that the city of Leeds has made great strides since 1969. They aim to help the city in coming to terms with its past, to improve its care for those who remain marginalised, and to promote compassion, cohesion, inclusion and social justice in Leeds. They utilise all types of art to offer vitality and creativity in our collective effort to make a better future for all. Their flagship project, the David Oluwale memorial garden, will be a place of performance and play, beauty and growth.

"David Oluwale arrived in Hull in East Yorkshire in 1969 as a stowaway in a cargo ship from Lagos. Like all migrants, David travelled in hope of a brighter future. DOMA describe his relatively good experience in Leeds, in the north of England, from 1949 to 1953 where he worked re-building post-war Britain and enjoyed the night life of this developing city. From 1953 to 1969 he endured mental ill-health, homelessness, racism, destitution and police persecution, culminating in what we believe to be his drowning on 18th April 1969 in the River Aire, near Leeds Bridge, at the hands of two policemen." Source: https://rememberoluwale.org/who.html#who

Yinka Shonibare CBE (RA)

"Yinka Shonibare CBE RA was born in 1962 in London, UK. He studied Fine Art at Byam School of Art, London (now Central Saint Martins College) in 1989 and received his MFA from Goldsmiths, University of London in 1991. 

Shonibare’s interdisciplinary practice uses citations of Western art history and literature to question the validity of contemporary cultural and national identities within the context of globalization. His trademark material is the brightly coloured Dutch wax batik fabric he buys in London. This fabric was inspired by Indonesian design, mass-produced by the Dutch and eventually sold to the colonies in West Africa. In the 1960s, the material became a new symbol of African identity and independence." - Source : http://yinkashonibare.com/biography/