African Textile Artists Make Fiber Art Objects That Are
African Textiles
Skirt (Ntshak), Kuba Cloth, Zaire, 20th C, Textile Museum
African textiles are the major form of expression that Africans use to define themselves.
They accept used cloth not only for personal adornment but besides as a powerful medium of communication for many centuries. Their importance has often been overshadowed past traditional sculpture and masks but in this day and age, nosotros see how African textiles have become the about significant medium by which contemporary African artists are illuminating the connections and continuities between by and recent modes of African artistic expression.
African textiles are also a ways for us to learn insight into the social, religious, political and economical complexities of many African communities whose sophisticated cultures nosotros may otherwise remain ignorant near.
Besides that, African textiles are just and then glorious to behold!
They speak to me of ancient kingdoms and civilizations where a man was revered and respected, judged by the voluminous splendour of his cloth. Kente fabric woven in strips in silk for the Asante Empire and its' Purple Courtroom; skirts woven from raffia wrapped around Kuba Male monarch's resplendent menservants and indigo blue tunics that are embroidered with elaborate design and intricate pattern by the Fulani tribe who alive in the Niger delta and add a dignitary air to the wearer.
Very few ancient textiles have survived the adverse climactic conditions of Africa.
Although numerous linen fragments have been collected from Arab republic of egypt pre-Christ, the picture for sub-Saharan Africa is less apparent and the earliest textile found in Niger dates to the 2nd half of the eighth C Advertizement.
Post-obit this, the Igbo Ukwu cloth fragments have been dated to the 9th C and in the 11th C Advertising pieces found in burial caves in the Tellem cliffs in Mali take been attributed to the ancestors of the Dogon. Single-heddled vertical and horizontal basis looms were observed in production past the Portuguese when they arrived in Africa in the 15th C and Kuba cloths were discovered in Zaire in the 16th C.
Uses of African textiles
- African textiles have had and nonetheless have an exceptional significance equally a means of communication , data and mutual association within particular communities. There is spiritual and historical significance in not only the option of colours, dyes and type of threads used, but also in the decorative element, the symbols used and the figural compositions which are directly related to historical proverbs and events. They represent a form of story telling often taking the place of the written word and convey messages of importance for an individual, family, or larger social unit.
- African textiles are often used for social and political annotate, for commemorative purposes mark special occasions like political or tribal events, weddings, funerals, burials, naming ceremonies. Historically, their usage was controlled by chiefs and regional leaders and they were distributed with favour.
- As personal adornment they are wrapped equally skirts circular waists and hips and thrown over the shoulder or made into tunics and robes. African textiles are not e'er worn but sometimes used every bit backdrops against which public ceremonies were held.
- African textiles are too used quite simply equally items of warmth or embrace just centuries of tradition and a culture of crafting beautiful items imbues some African communities with an air of elegance and vibrancy in their clothing attire that one does not experience in the Western world which chooses conformity in a higher place individual expression.
Methods of producing African textiles
Mbuti material
Cloth production methods include woven, dyed, appliquéd, embroidered and printed techniques. Printing and dying and manus painting occurred on all types of woven material and also on leather (hide) and bark.
Fibres traditionally used for weaving are predominantly cotton wool only also include wool, silk, raffia, bark and bast fibres similar flax and jute which produce linen cloth.
It is very seldom that a fabric piece is produced by just one process and when one considers that everything is paw executed in mostly rural circumstances, one has to admire the commitment and skill involved in making the piece. African textiles are highly collectable artworks and will continue to gain in value as traditions disappear and the authentic items become unavailable.
Raffia fibres
Tribal textile fine art
The following have been identified as some of the more well-known tribal African textiles and they tin be studied in further detail on split up pages.
- Adire , indigo cloth from the Yoruba of SW Nigeria
- Andinkra , stamp printed cloth from the Asante of Ghana
- Asafo , appliqued flags from the Fante of Ghana
- Aso-Oke , woven strip cloth from the Yoruba of Nigeria
- Bark cloth , painted from the Buganda of Uganda
- Bogolan , mud fabric from the Bamana (Mande) of Mali
- Dida , raffia cloth from the Dida of the Ivory Coast
- Fila , dye-painted fabric from the Senufo of the Ivory coast
- Kaasa , woollen blanket from the Fulani of Niger Delta, Mali
- Kente , woven appliqued fabric from the Asante and Ewe of Ghana
- Kuba, Shoowa cloth from the Kuba of the DRC, (Zaire)
- Ndop , resist dyed indigo material from the Bamileke of Cameroon
Material Tunic (Bororo), 20th C, Metropolitan museum, African textiles
Traditional clothing
African vesture tin be a symbol of status, creativity and fidelity to tribal roots.
Traditionally, there are men's robes; some produced as symbols of prestige or fifty-fifty protection in battle, women's robes; wrap around cloths worn as skirts past men and women; body wrap blankets acting every bit coats or ceremonial tokens; loin cloths, aprons and whatever manner of headdress and adornment.
A few examples...
- Agbada, robe of the Yoruba tribe of Nigeria
- Bororo, tunic of the Fulani in Niger
- Mabu, feathered Cape from the Bamileke of Republic of cameroon
- Ibhayi coating body wrap from the Mfengu of Due south Africa
Thembu women wearing apparel, South Africa, Ezakwantu
Modern African textiles
Today, in Africa, printing, weaving and dyeing textiles remains a craft that provides both income and creativity for many artisans beyond the continent.
There are a myriad designers, workshops and co-operatives who produce either handmade fabrics or minimum club lengths for special projects or retail/souvenir shops. Smaller scale semi-industrial enterprises can run lengths of annihilation from 200-chiliad m lengths to special order.
The product can exist used for retail sales or adult further into way garments, furnishing textiles or home décor items.
Urbanstax has a collection of modernistic adire cloth which is hand-drawn and hand-dyed in Nigeria. Since each fabric can exist fabricated of whatsoever mix of symbols that tell a story, these cloths can be seen as an art piece, unique and individualistic and gimmicky in their hues.
When a designer collaborates with a skilled craftsperson then all sorts of amazing ventures are realized.
Beneath are but a select few who are admittedly making a difference... non just to textile design but likewise to community'south welfare too as keeping alive the skills of countless years of tradition thus ensuring continuity of a valuable African cultural and economical asset.
Weave
Aissa Dione, Senegal - ADT
Built-in in Senegal, lives in Dakar.
Aissa Done works with interior and fashion designers all over the world who recognize how successfully she incorporates bequeathed Mandjaque techniques with innovative and original interpretations of this craft.. creating truly modern woven fabrics for furnishings, furniture and manner.
Aissa Dione
Aissa Dione
In 1993, she formed her company named ADT (Aissa Dione Tissus)starting with just 3 master weavers.
Incurring many challenges along the fashion she has survived to employ over 100 weavers who work with modified looms which tin weave wide-width fabrics for the furnishing and upholstery business.
Having had to import cotton yarn from Turkey and Egypt through the last decade she actively engaged with the Senegalese regime, encouraging them to revive the cotton wool industry, both growing and spinning. Technical schools are also being established to back up the industry.
Aissa Dione, Dak'Fine art 18
She has borrowed her geometrical patterns from various sources including the Kuba, Zaire and Mandjaque designs from Casamance, Guinea Bissau and Gambia.
Her sophisticated collections are made more gimmicky by graphic repetition, vivid hues and mixed yarns. In her textile make-upward due south he mixes cotton fiber with raffia or silk and also uses plastics to produce strong fabrics for upholstery.Her overall aim is to revive traditional African woven textiles and assure their future while making sure industry survives.
Atmek and Eco yarns, Republic of ghana
This is a very modern co-operative, the merger of master Kente weavers and the suppliers of Tencel yarn to Republic of ghana.
The fabrics are upholstery weight, a combination of silk, tencel and cotton.
Hana Getachew, Ethiopia - Bole Route Textiles
Bole Road, Wollo gabi coating
Having left Ethiopia at 3 years quondam, Hana Getachew returned as a young adult.
Feeling intensely inspired and continued to her heritage she ready Bole Road Textiles with the commercial/pattern side operating in Brooklyn NY and the artisan/production counterpart set up in Ethiopia.
Bole Road, Heritage collection
Bole Road Textiles Konso Inspiration
Designs and concepts based round the wealth of natural beauty and culture existing in Ethiopia are formulated by Hana and and then digitally sent to Ethiopia for weaving into fabric.
Traditional motifs are used, re-coloured and re-spaced... successfully re-invented in a modern interpretation for today's contemporary marketplace.
Gilbert 'Bobbo' Ahiagble, 1944-2012, Ghana
A ewe artist and chief weaver, 'Bobbo' Ahiagble' perfected the arts and crafts of weaving Kente cloth while at the same time developing CIKW (Craft Institute of Kente Weaving).
Since 1975 he has combined developing his ain art with weaving demonstrations outside Republic of ghana, travelling abroad and passionately promoting his arts and crafts. His masterful wrappers are contained in many collections over the world including the Smithsonian in Washington.
'Bobbo' Ahiagble, kente cloth
Over time he has adult unique skills and designs that have created his signature style of weaving-subtle combinations of weft hues with multicoloured warps.
He has also used secular motifs also as traditional ones.
Chapuchi' Bobbo' Ahiagble
Chapuchi 'Bobbo' Ahiagble is one of the sons of Gilbert 'Bobbo' Ahiagble.
An artist in his own correct he continues the heritage of his father, keeping the skills of weaving kente and ewe cloths live and intact. He also lectures abroad and demonstrates at abode in Aflao, Republic of ghana where he endeavors to keep the legend of these beautiful cloths relevant to modern 24-hour interval Africa.
Chapuchi 'Bobbo' Ahiagble
For viewing Chapuchi 'Bobbo ' Ahiagble at the Smithsonian lookout man this video link
https://vimeo.com/279153889
Tesss Atelier, Senegal
Formed by Mai Diop (aka Veronique Picart ) in 2001 together with Assane Diop who started a weaving workshop close by the studio. Together they accept built this upward as a business that remains small but true to its original inspiration.. committed to the preservation of keeping Manjak loincloth production alive in the modern era.
Without the behavior fastened to it and a desire by local communities to keep the traditions associated to its industry live, this rich heritage of symbolism and historic significance would fall abroad.
Bedspreads, tablecloths and special orders from this atelier accept found their way into homes all over the world. Modern interpretations like this one below show traditional blueprint motifs on a white ground. Keeping it visual, fresh and illuminating is what Tesss does and then well.
Dyeing
Boubacar Doumbia, Republic of mali - Ndomo
Part of the revolutionaryGroupe Bogolan Kasobane, an artist's collective formed in the 1970's who researched and explored the predominantly female art of fabric dyeing and weaving, founding member Boubacar Doumbia has become, today, a leading proponent of gimmickybogolan production in West Africa.
Taking it back to its roots and honoring the craft of dyeing with natural plant-based dyes and hand-painted designs covered with mud direct from the Niger River, he has recently worked in collaboration with Habitat UK to create a fabulously graphic and urban-based motif range of textiles to be used in furnishing products.
Boubacar/Habitat collaboration
bedspread Habitat
Further to that and more far-reaching, Doumbia has developed a social enterprise in the hamlet of Segou chosen Ndomo.
Hither in this architecturally singled-out environment he has set a 10 year program for young males to larn and practice non only the technical skills to carry on the traditions of bogolan dyeing and printing simply besides the entrepreneurial skills to create businesses of their own.
Smaller widths of material are handwoven on site while wider cloths are developed on looms. The dyes used are earth, vegetables and indigo. The cotton is locally grown and the mud from the Niger has all the fe required in information technology to plow the dye black (3 coats for blackness and two for grayness).
Ndomo is an case of a sustainable industry coupled with eye-catching, contemporary pattern.
Aissata Namoko, Bamako – Djiguiyaso Co-Operative
Aissata Namako heads upward Djiguiyaso Co-operative in Bamako, Republic of mali.
This enterprise provides work for more 100 women. Based on bogolan indigo tie-dyeing, the women's skills in crochet, weaving, spinning, cut and sewing are further developed.
Aissata Namoko with Djiguiyaso cloths
Djiguiyaso at Africa Now NY
Primarily 100% cotton wool, the atelier makes upwardly cushion covers, bedspreads, bags, scarves, clothing etc using the traditional methods of dyeing merely injecting new designs and motifs for a more contemporary look.
Kofar Mata Dye Pit
The Kofar Mata dye pit has existed in Nigeria since 1498 and yet operates although only just over half of the 100-so pits are currently used. Pits are passed down from generation to generation and tightly managed... while the expertise and secrets of indigo dyeing of African textiles are closely guarded.
In general fabrics are dyed in holes beneath the footing in solutions made from mixtures of water, ash and dried indigo twigs. Frequent dips of the cloth are required for particular depths of colour to be achieved.
Nike Davies Okundaye, Nigeria
Principal Nike Davies Okundaye
Chief Nike Davies-Okundaye was born in Kogi state, Nigeria in 1951 to a cultured family of musicians and skilled artisans. Her grandmother was especially influential in nurturing Nike's involvement in textiles and the fine art of dyeing, printing and weaving, specifically indigo and adire.
She spent a lot of her life in Osogbo, a major center for art and culture where she embraced everything to do with Nigerian culture. She has formed 4 art centres and a large gallery. Now days, she lectures and speaks around the globe and is equally global a figure as they come, accepting and receiving many awards for her contribution to the arts.
She loves to wearable her material fine art and cuts a dramatic and colourful figure with noticeable headdresses and jewelry adornment.
Her ain work is semi-abstract and semi-representational - full of underlying line cartoon defining figures and compositions by areas of repetitive blueprint, colour and geometric shapes.
Hither in the image above, Okundaye works hand in hand with Tola Ojuolope and Distill2710 on a project for the communal lounge of ane:54 Contemporary Art Fair, London... a beautiful assortment of Adire hanging cloths... Nigerian batik and Indigo dyed textiles representing the textile traditions of West Africa but re-interpreted in a contemporary fashion by this pioneer artist.
Contemporary textile designers
The following designers are committed to their disciplines, only as designer-artists they also choose to express themselves in a very personal fashion with 1-off pieces that button boundaries exterior their fields of expertise.
Johanna Bramble
Johanna Bramble - dak'art eighteen, CAA photograph
Multi-skilled, versed in weaving (manjak, ikat ) , style accessories, monumental works/tapestries, embossing techniques, lighting and furnishing fabrics Johanna Brier is devoted to her craft.
Born in 1976 in France and having studied pattern and practical arts in Paris, she settled in Dakar in 2008 after having met the Senegalese designer Ousmane Mbaye. A workshop was started with 4 Senegalese weavers only more recently she has engaged them in producing fabrics for the futurity, using not only cotton fiber but also mixes with non-traditional fibres such equally metallic yarns, viscose, copper, silk and fifty-fifty paper.
In an interview with IAM magazine issue #2016 she explains her philosophy on weaving saying it has a language of its ain and can be an extension of i's soul. She sees Senagalese fabric as being total of meaning and she tries to impart this deeper connectedness to her own ranges past way of colour, symbols and feeling. Rhythm exists in non only the human activity of weaving (the movement between the weaver and his banana) simply besides in the blueprint, the design and the arrangement of colours.
Her colours tin be either sombre and neutral or go quite the other way being injected with joyous, vibrant hues. The technicality of her work is unquestionably sophisticated beingness thoroughly researched, tried and tested. The speciality comes from the new estimation of traditional geometrics and gimmicky more secular/urban motifs.
She has exhibited her own personal development work in 2 Dak'Art Biennale shows.. 2016 exhibition "Flamboyant" and "Aborescence" in 2018.
Mai Diop
'Evasion' kuba inspired cloth - Mai Diop
Mai Diop, the force behind Gallerie Tesss Atelier in Senegal is also motivated to be an originator and produce her own, personal, contemporary works which are dense in expression and execution. Woven strips of sail are hand-dyed in baths of natural dyes. More muted in colour than her commercial cloths, they pay homage to many influences.. like kuba cloth or paving stones, flowers or stained drinking glass; she takes inspiration anything effectually her.
Her signature treatment is to print soft wax over them creating a stiff wall-hanging that crackles and whose textures can be seen if held up to the lite.
Aboubakar Fofana
Aboubakar Fofana was built-in in Mali, raised in France and spent time in Japan. A multi-disciplinary artist and designer, he has institute art in the tradition of indigo dyeing. His working mediums include calligraphy, textiles and natural dyes.
Aboubakar Fofana, cloth installation
His gimmicky work is original and inventive, adapting his learned techniques from Mali and Nihon onto abstract canvases and using strip weaving to create sculptures and installation pieces.
While greatly absorbed with re-inventing and re-defining West African textiles into glamorous textiles and exciting installation projects, he too has his anxiety planted firmly in the soil in Mali.
Hither he is involved with creating a farm community in the district of Siby where he hopes to successfully farm the two types of indigo that exist in West Africa and rebirth fermented indigo dyeing. His permaculture model includes a model based effectually local food and medicine every bit well as indigo and cotton plants.
Source: https://www.contemporary-african-art.com/african-textiles.html
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