V for victory: Artist Yinka Shonibare's journey to the fourth plinth

Artist Yinka Shonibare, photographed in his London studio with a scaled-down model of Nelson’s Ship in a Bottle, the work to be installed on the fourth plinth. Behind him is Girl On Flying Machine (2008) Photograph: Andy Hall Photograph: guardian.co.uk Reverend on Ice (2005), Yinka Shonibare's riff on Raeburn’s classic painting, with the addition of Dutch wax fabrics Photograph: courtesy of the artist/Stephen Friedman Gallery Photograph: courtesy of the artist/guardian.co.uk The painted installation, Black Gold, shown at the Stephen Friedman Gallery in 2006 Photograph: Graeme Robertson Photograph: guardian.co.uk An photograph from Yinka Shonibare's 1998 series, Diary of a Victorian Dandy, starring the artist Photograph: Courtesy of the artist/Stephen Friedman Gallery Photograph: Courtesy of the artist/guardian.co.uk How to Blow up Two Heads at Once (Gentlemen), exhibited at the Moscow biennale of contemporary arts, 2009 Photograph: Rex Features Photograph: guardian.co.uk The Swing (after Fragonard), exhibited at the Turner prize exhibition at Tate Britain in 2004 Photograph: Nils Jorgensen/Rex Features Photograph: Nils Jorgensen/guardian.co.uk The salon of the Victorian Philanthrope, which was exhibited at the Pompidou centre in Paris as part of Africa Remix, the first exhibition of contemporary African art in France in 2005 Photograph: Pierre Verdy/AFP Photograph: Pierre Verdy/guardian.co.uk The Christmas tree Yinka Shonibare created for Tate Britain. The tree was made out of 102 branches wrapped in shredded batik Photograph: Kieran Doherty/Reuters Photograph: Kieran Doherty/guardian.co.uk A model of Nelson's Ship in a Bottle, the work that is to stand on the fourth plinth in Trafalgar Square. It is a scale replica of Nelson's ship HMS Victory, in a giant glass bottle with sails made of patterned textiles commonly associated with Africa and bought from Brixton market in London Photograph: Daniel Berehulak/Getty Images Photograph: Daniel Berehulak/guardian.co.uk