The Thousands

You might, perhaps, as a totally hypothetical person, feel somewhat shallow for associating the words “Banana Republic” more with chinos than with the idea of “a country operated as a commercial enterprise for private profit”. But please, oh putative individual, be reassured that while the paintings and sculptures in this show do deal with all kinds of issues around colonialism and exoticisation and othering and commerce and exploitation and race and things that are worrying about the world, Jebila Wolfe-Okongwu is also looking at the interpretative richness of the banana as a symbol, and so it is totally okay that you are thinking about Gwen Stefani.

Or maybe you are a slapstick fan? Is that it, imaginary person? Or an appreciator of the cover art of seminal albums? Or maybe you resent the overpopularity of bashing Freud and you seriously have been single for like FIVE YEARS NOW, and you are interested in the phallic connotations of the banana? (Wow, projected person, maybe you should be more discreet on the internet?) Essentially, the banana is as delicious and ingeniously packaged a symbol as it is a smoothie ingredient, giving this exhibition a lot of (say it out loud) appeal.