The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of December 13, 2025

Mannequin sculpture with a yellow globe head turned to feature the African continent and orange-brown skin tone. The mannequin steps forward, holding a rope draped around its shoulders from which hang five bird cages, each with a bird perched on the outside. The figure wears a vibrant suit jacket patterned with birds flying from yellow cages, with an orange and teal triangularly patterned shirt underneath. On the shorts birds fly through sun and purple clouds, with teal stockings underneath and brown boots on the figure's feet.

Birdcage Kid (Boy)

2023

Yinka Shonibare CBE RA

(British Nigerian, b. 1962)
Fiberglass, cotton, globe, brass, steel, replica birds (domestic feathers), wood, rope, metal
135.5 x 102 x 88.5 cm (53 3/8 x 40 3/16 x 34 13/16 in.)
Partial Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund and partial gift of Mark Dinner in honor of Dr. Dudley S. Dinner 2023.158
© Yinka Shonibare CBE
Location: Not on view

Did You Know?

Symbolic of hope and freedom, the birds and birdcage imagery in this piece can be connected to Maya Angelou’s 1969 book I know why the caged bird sings. Angelou briefly lived in Cleveland in the 1950s.

Description

Stepping forward, a boy bends his body with the effort of carrying birdcages. The visual signature of Shonibare’s artistic practice, his Victorian era–style suit (c. 1820–1914), is tailored from boldly printed “African” or “Dutch” wax fabric. Indonesian in origin, this European-made fabric is now synonymous with West African dress. The artist uses it to consider cultural heritage and colonialism, and the denial of civil liberties experienced by members of the African diaspora. This includes mass incarceration, potently symbolized by the birds who fly from their cages. Here, the artist's concerns are intertwined with environmental conservation; each faux bird represents a critically endangered species.
  • 2023
    Studio of Yinka Shonibare CBE RA
    2023–
    The Cleveland Museum of Art by partial gift and purchase
  • Litt, Steven. "Cleveland Museum of Art acquires German Gothic woodcarving, surrealist photos, contemporary sculpture." The Plain Dealer, January 19, 2024. Print Edition, Sunday, January 21, 2024, D3 www.cleveland.com
    Windmuller-Luna, Kristen. “Yinka Shonibare’s Birdcage Kid (Boy): a sculpture of history and hope.” Cleveland Art: The Cleveland Museum of Art Members Magazine, Vol. 64, No. 02 (May 2024), pp. 28-9. www.clevelandart.org
  • {{cite web|title=Birdcage Kid (Boy)|url=false|author=Yinka Shonibare CBE RA|year=2023|access-date=13 December 2025|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/2023.158