Osogbo

31 MARCH 2023

Today was another of those treasured times on my trip, full of rich learning and wonderful meetings with like-minded people.

I began the day back at the Adire Workshop to check in with the artists and to gain more experience in the skills and techniques of batik. It has been an absolute privilege and an unique opportunity to learn alongside these ambitious and passionate young people.

My next stop was the Osun Sacred Grove, which totally blew my mind. This area of protected forest on the outskirts of Osogbo, was once similar to the forested areas outside all Yoruba settlements where people who revere the forest and nature, building shrines to workshop the gods and goddesses there. The one in Osogbo was initially the location of the shrine of Ede dedicated to the god of creation, Obalata. In the 1950s, Suzanne Wenger, an Austrian sculpture and a devotee of Orisha worship came to the forest to renovate the shrines and construct huge sculptures to honour the deities of the religion. She and her assistants created the sacred grove which includes the beautiful shrine of Oshuno, the river goddess. The UNESCO protected forest is of natural rainforest and is a peaceful, beautiful area - a perfect location for the huge, empowering sculptures and shrines which are spread within it. There is a special ambience within the space which is shared with moneys, cattle, birdlife and butterflies.

I took a motorbike taxi to see the house of Suzanne Wenger, where she lived for 50+ years whilst actively engaging with her art, the artists of Osogbo and practising her religion. The house is a large Afro-Brazilian detached house on Ibakon Road decorated on the outside with swirling sculptures and inside with a mass of wooden figures. The house is now derelict and over grown, a family squat in the upper floor rooms. There is no money available for its upkeep or renovation.

I took another motorbike taxi to the Jimoh Buraimoh African Heritage Gallery only to find this had closed last year and moved to a space behind the Heritage Hotel. Heritage Hall is a new clean and open space, showcasing a number of artists including Jimoh's work. He is currently renovating an area at the rear of the hotel to provide studio and exhibition space for young artists.

One of the young artists gave me a tour. I particularly liked the work of Jimoh and his son, Larry; the softer hues of Labayo Ogundele's women paintings and the wood carving by Fesina Temitore. All featured on the twitter feed.

I spent the rest of the afternoon in the company of Timiti Ayoola, one of the young artists, who introduced me to the Principal of the Union Baptist Church Model College, the owner of Deenes Art - who was his teacher and mentor and the owner of Genisis Art Gallery, Adeyinka Fabayo. A fantastic opportunity to meet members of the current artist community and hear about the elders and masters of the craft that had influenced them over the years.