‘Hibiscus and the Rose’ is an expression of cultural exchange between Britain and the rest of the world. Yinka Shonibare CBE explains: ‘The hibiscus is a genus of numerous species of herbs, shrubs, and trees in the mallow family (Malvaceae) widely found in many of the warmer temperate Commonwealth countries. The rose is the national flower of England and has a long tradition within English symbolism. An exploration of Britain's colonial past and its current relationship with its former colonies is symbolised through the “Hibiscus and the Rose”.’ The interplay of race, place, history, politics and class in the construction of cultural identity is at the core of Shonibare’s diverse practice. Coming to prominence in the late 1990s and early 2000s, his headless figures festooned in seventeenth-century clothing made from Dutch wax Indonesian batik fabrics synonymous with African design, were shown globally leading to a Turner Prize nomination in 2004, and a prominent installation in Documenta XI in 2008.