THE DISPLACED
Igbo and Yorba Art & Craft
The third in Hibiscus' Virtual Gallery, series of exhibitions and workshops, THE DISPLACED offers a rear opportunity to view and savour the exquisite art and craft inspired by the culture of the Igbo and Yoruba people of Nigeria West Africa. The Exhibition features the paintings of IBRAHIM TAMIYU and exhibits of the hand crafted textiles of the Akwete Weavers of Abia, Igboland, Nigeria, West Africa.
IBRAHIM TAMIYU: Mixed Media Artist
Ibrahim Tamiyu a son of Ipokia, Ogun State, Nigeria is a Marine Engineering graduate, however to quote him "I had no passion for the job and returned to art. Tiamiyu artistic talent was recognised at an early age when as a student at Ebener High School Lagos, his fine art work was considered outstanding. In his gap year before university, Tiamiyu worked with and was mentored by Solomon Long an influential Nigerian educator, artist and craftsman. Tiamiyu is a Mixed Media artist " I do not have a preference for medium; I use anything as I see its beauty, not unlike a spiritual awakening that inspires: like the people and environment around me.
STRANDED
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EGO EKEKE - Akwete Weaver
Examples of Akwete Handwoven Fabrics
The hand woven textiles fashioned with delicate motifs: the unmistakable signature of the Akwete Weaver, has long since been recognised for its exceptional quality. Highly prized and valued by the people of West Africa, Akewete Cloth as it is sometimes referred to, is part and parcel of the fabric of Igbo Culture, where its motifs and symbols records many life cycle events and celebrations of the wearer. Akwete fabrics are also much prized and coveted beyond West Africa where sample fabrics, have been incarcerated as artefacts of high culture in the museums and private collections of Europe and the Americas.
Once a thriving craft sector and an important contributor to the economy of the city from which it takes its name Akwete, today it is but shadow of its former self. A craft once apprenticed within one's family, has become all but extinct. Ego Ekeke, an Akwete Weaver, some of who's work is here exhibited, is one of a handful of weavers who still makes a living by the craft. There are numerous reasons for the decline, and the likelihood of revival remote. However, for Ege Ekeke, the loss of livelihood is to bemoaned, for her the grater loss is the skill and experience of the weaver which is no longer transferred from one generation to another, and the ultimate loss of a vessel of Igbo cultural identity. |
Previous Exhibitions
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Virtual Exhibition: Prince Terralox 7 January Paint the Town Dread
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