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Return to The Essential Art of African Textiles
Display Cloth (detail). Cotton, indigo dye. Gambia, first half of the 19th century. The British Museum, London (Af.2796). Provenance: Collected by Henry Christy; his bequest to The British Museum, 1865
This masterpiece of the art of tie-dye was among the earliest African textiles to enter The British Museum and the oldest example of this art form to have been preserved. To produce this dynamic appearance of a cosmic explosion in varying intensities of blue against the original white field, the cloth was crumpled and loosely bound before being immersed in indigo. Although the design may appear to be the result of a casual experiment, a high degree of control is necessary to achieve the even overall tonality of the dye and almost regular repetition of pattern. The impression of spontaneity and expansive freedom expressed by the indigo clouds obscures the underlying narrow band construction of the fabric panel.
Grace Ndiritu (British, b. 1976), The Nightingale, 2003. Video; 7:01 minutes. Collection of the artist.
In this film, the focus is on the artist manipulating the simplest of props–a red cloth with white flowers. The gestures of the protagonist wrap this fabric element in a series of unfolding movements that transform it into a turban, burka, head scarf, and shawl. In this work a textile affords the individual presented with a spectrum of possibilities that range from enhancing her appearance to serving as something that obscures and conceals. This sequence opens with the undulating, shifting, and rippling movements of the fabric that appears as an independently animate presence until the individual responsible for its movement is revealed. The cloth has a basic repeating pattern and, as the performance unfolds, we become aware that the gestures are also repeated. This modest piece of fabric is invested with a great deal of personal meaning. Ndiritu acquired it during her travels in India and relies upon it to shield her in unfamiliar environments. In this instance the musical score by Baaba Maal, Mi Yeenii (Missing You) and Allah Adda Jam (God Give Us Peace), transport us to Senegal, a land that Ndiritu has recently traveled to in exploring her own creative potential and to take part in the Dakar Biennale.
Man's Protective Tunic. Cotton, leather, paper, pigment; 35 7/8 x 34 5/8 in. (91 x 88 cm). Nigeria; Hausa peoples, late 19th century. The British Museum, London (Af1940,23.1). Provenance: Acquired from Captain Alfred Walter Francis Fuller, 1940
Every inch of this simple cotton tunic was inscribed and invested with prayers by an itinerant Hausa artist who sought to transform it into a mantle of invulnerability. The Islamic belief in the power of the Koran's written word is reflected in elaboration by a draftsman gifted in deploying it eloquently as a visual form of expression. The texts were not intended to be read for their content but rather to be experienced aesthetically as an assault on the senses produced by their sheer cumulative effect. The extraordinary measures taken to load the surface visually with protective script suggest that the garment was made for an important warrior to wear as a form of mystical body armor into battle.
Rachid Koraïchi (Algerian, b. 1947), Four Panels from 7 Variations on Indigo (detail), 2002. Serigraphy on Aleppo silk, ink, and paint; each: 10 ft. 6 in. x 18 7/8 in. (320 x 48 cm). Collection of the artist.
This is a detail view of a selection of seven vertical panels that include elements from an installation of indigo-scripted banners and rectangular panels featured at the Vieille Charité in Marseille in 2003. In this work Rachid Koraïchi foregrounds the deep-seated human appeal of a single color exchanged in trade networks that interconnected Africa, the Middle East, and Europe. The ubiquitous deep blue dye—indigo, a commodity obtained from various plants—has been used in virtually every culture. It is likely that it figured importantly in the trade between the northern and sub-Saharan regions of the continent as early as 500 b.c. when the Berbers were using horses and donkeys to draw chariots from Morocco south to the Senegal River and from Carthage to the middle Niger River.
In 7 Variations, the component of twenty-eight vertical banners evokes Islamic traditions used to display the genealogy of Muslim brotherhoods painted in gold. In Koraïchi's creation, the life of the eighth-century Sufi female mystic Rabia al-Adawiya is celebrated. Composed of silk woven and dyed with indigo by Syrian artisans in the city of Aleppo, the columnar inscriptions intertwine invented visual calligraphic imagery with inverted Arabic poetic texts drawn from the mystic's Songs of the Recluse. Designed to be suspended from on high, these elegant gossamer invocations span the divide between heaven and earth. On a purely formal level they also physically monumentalize the omnipresent vertical band of sub-Saharan textiles.
Kente Prestige Cloth (detail). Cotton, silk; warp 74 in. (188 cm), weft 9 ft. 1 7/8 in. (279 cm). Ghana; Ewe peoples, 19th century. The British Museum, London (Af1934,0307.165). Provenance: Collected in West Africa between 1880 and 1900 by Charles Beving Sr.
Richly elaborated and costly kente textiles, identified with wealth and status, are the ultimate attribute of prestige in both Ewe and Asante societies. These glorious fabrics were worn as voluminous toga-like garments draped majestically around the body to mark special occasions. During the eighteenth century Asante weavers radically expanded the palette drawn upon for such creations by unraveling silks imported along the coast for their richly hued threads. In order to execute such monumental works, the very long fabric woven on a double-heddle horizontal treadle loom is cut at fixed intervals to produce a series of strips that are sewn together selvage to selvage. A man's cloth typically requires twenty-four such strips. In this example, the strips come from seven loomed lengths, each with a different warp arrangement. The resulting vertical stripes present rhythms of repetition that are not immediately discernable. To vary the pattern further, the colorful asymmetrical strips are set in opposite directions so that they mirror each other.
El Anatsui (Ghanaian, b. 1944), Between Earth and Heaven, 2006. Aluminum, copper wire; 86 3/4 in. x 10 ft. 6 in. (220.3 x 320 cm). The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Purchase, Fred M. and Rita Richman, Noah-Sadie K. Wachtel Foundation Inc., David and Holly Ross, Doreen and Gilbert Bassin Family Foundation and William B. Goldstein Gifts, 2007 (2007.96)
In this work, Anatsui has effected the translation of a familiar icon, a conceptual action on the order of Jasper Johns' appropriation of the American flag. The classic kente textile tradition produced by Asante and Ewe weavers has been subjected to a complete transformation and yet is recognizable in vestigial form. Through the animated surface of a sculptural idiom he calls attention to the dynamism of Ghanaian textiles whose shimmering luminosity, dense composition, and immense rippling presence viscerally engage the viewer. Anatsui's painstakingly constructed "metal textiles" composed of aluminum particles constitute flexible and pliable structures that are highly adaptable and responsive to manipulation. Their impermanence and indeterminacy are qualities that appear antithetical to our preconceptions of sculpture. The artist's refinement of base metal into a work of transcendent beauty may be likened to alchemy. As early as the third century, gold mined in Ghana was being transported across the Sahara as a coveted substance on the world market. In the fifteenth century, European traders traveled to Ghana's coast in search of direct access to this precious resource. Over time, textiles and liquor were among the major trade items they imported to the region in exchange for gold and slaves. Through the materials and iconography of this work the artist reflects on the convergence of African, European, and American history.
Atta Kwami (Ghanaian, b. 1956), Juapong, 2006. Relief print on paper; 14 x 9 3/4 in. (35.6 x 24.9 cm). The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Purchase, Janet Lee Kadesky Ruttenberg Fund, in honor of Colta Ives, 2008 (2008.235.1)
This work is from a series of prints named after Ewe towns in Ghana's Volta Region where weaving is practiced and the artist was raised. The titles "Kpong," "Kpetoe," "Vane," "Tsito," and "Juapong" were selected for their association with textile design as well as their sonorous musical quality. The works explore the upbeat spirit and serenity of Ewe and Akan weaving as embodied in Ghanaian strip woven kente. The lino-cut printing techniques used by Kwami are a composite of relief processes including inks, linoleum, woodcutting tools, rollers, brushes, and acetate.
Atta Kwami (Ghanaian, b. 1956), Vane, 2006. Relief print on paper; 14 x 9 3/4 in. (35.6 x 24.9 cm). The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Purchase, Janet Lee Kadesky Ruttenberg Fund, in honor of Colta Ives, 2008 (2008.235.2)
Atta Kwami (Ghanaian, b. 1956), Tsito, 2006. Relief print on paper; 14 x 9 3/4 in. (35.6 x 24.9 cm). The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Purchase, Janet Lee Kadesky Ruttenberg Fund, in honor of Colta Ives, 2008 (2008.235.3)
Atta Kwami (Ghanaian, b. 1956), Kpetoe, 2006. Relief print on paper; 14 x 9 3/4 in. (35.6 x 24.9 cm). The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Purchase, Janet Lee Kadesky Ruttenberg Fund, in honor of Colta Ives, 2008 (2008.235.4)
Atta Kwami (Ghanaian, b. 1956), Kpong, 2006. Relief print on paper; 14 x 9 3/4 in. (35.6 x 24.9 cm). The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Purchase, Janet Lee Kadesky Ruttenberg Fund, in honor of Colta Ives, 2008 (2008.235.5)
Interior Hanging. Cotton, wool; 51 in. x 6 ft. 0 in. (129.5 x 304.8 cm). Mali or Ghana; Fulani (?), 19th century. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Rogers Fund, 1971 (1971.30)
Large-scale textiles created south of the Sahara were generally intended as enhancements for domestic environments. This exceptionally refined example must have been commissioned by a chiefly patron, perhaps to serve as a spectacular hanging. Designed to be displayed horizontally, the work's intricate composition is carefully balanced and symmetrical. Woven by a master according to a preplanned design, it was cut into its fifteen constituent strips. These were assembled to extend its entire length producing this complex expanse of checkerboard blocks, bands, and crosses. The checkerboard, a basic West African design, ultimately may derive from Islamic influences. In Islam, the orderly cosmos is often symbolized as an arrangement of squares emanating from a central point.
Seydou Keïta (Malian, 1921(?)–2001), Untitled [Olympia], 1956–57, print 1996. Gelatin silver print; 15 3/8 x 21 3/4 in. (39.1 x 55.2 cm). The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Anonymous Gift, 1997 (1997.267)
The pensive subject of the portrait positioned at a sloping diagonal and clad in a voluminous textile of a contrasting floral print appears to levitate suspended between two intersecting realms. This image eloquently bridges the artificial distinction between "tradition" and "modernity" through the blending of the classical strip woven cloth as a dominant presence and the industrially printed cloth worn by the protagonist. On one level, Keïta achieves a powerful formal tension by juxtaposing the bold checkerboard expanse of a Bamana cover blanket (kosso walani) over a bamboo bed, or tara, against the backdrop of European damask embossed with a dense pattern of florid arabesques. Among the most common textiles woven by Bamana weavers, in the past black-and-white kosso walani were most closely identified with the Segou region. On another level, the selection of the Bamana blanket transports the Malian viewer beyond Keïta's studio setting and evokes a domestic interior into which an eligible unmarried woman of leisure invites her suitor. This reclining pose was among the most popular for female clients.
Seydou Keïta (Malian, 1921(?)–2001), Untitled [Seated Woman with Chevron Print Dress], 1956, print 1997. Gelatin silver print; 20 x 24 in. (50.8 x 60.96 cm). The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Purchase, Joseph and Ceil Mazer Foundation Inc. Gift, 1997 (1997.364)
The leaf-patterned cloth backdrop was used by Keïta for sittings throughout 1956. Its striking juxtaposition with the sitter's printed dress plays her aesthetic against the photographer's pictorial conceit. In this instance while both fabrics feature a repeating pattern defined in white against a dark background, the leaves appear to float randomly in space, whereas the woman's chevrons are aligned as diagonals that suggest forward momentum. Keïta artfully arranged the dress and the engaging turning pose to exploit these inherent graphic possibilities.
Seydou Keïta (Malian, 1921(?)–2001), Untitled [Two Women and a Girl in Front of a Peugeot], 1959–60, print 1997. Gelatin silver print; 20 x 24 in. (50.8 x 60.96 cm). The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Purchase, Joseph and Ceil Mazer Foundation Inc. Gift, 1997 (1997.361)
The props used by Keïta to suggest his sitters' prosperity and modernity included cars (including a Peugeot, a Dauphine, and a Versailles), Vespas, bicycles, and radio sets. In this photograph, Keïta's own image behind the camera is reflected in the car's gleaming surface to the right of his posing subjects. Each of the women is different in scale and dressed in contrasting wax prints so that together they present a symphony of distinct designs against the reflective luster of the vehicle. The central woman's wax print is one that has been favored in West Africa and referred to as "Precious Beads Make No Noise."
Seydou Keïta (Malian, 1921(?)–2001), Untitled [Two Couples], 1959–1960, print 1997. Gelatin silver print; 20 x 24 in. (50.8 x 60.96 cm). The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Purchase, Joseph and Ceil Mazer Foundation Inc. Gift, 1997 (1997.362)
The boldness of the patterns of the two women's goldfish-print dresses is juxtaposed against solid grey drapery, a backdrop adopted by Keïta in the mid 1950s. This simplification reflected his commitment to documenting his clients with greater objective realism. As a consequence, the expressive potential of the sitters' apparel is the visual focal point of this composition. The formal repetition of the dress of each of the couples is underscored through their arrangement as an alternation of elements. The especially close nature of the relationship between the two women is reflected in the fact that not only has their hair been arranged in the same coiffure, but their dresses cut from the same bolt of cloth.
Adire Cloth: Olokun (detail). Cotton, indigo dye; 69 5/16 x 77 3/16 in. (176 x 196 cm). Nigeria; Yoruba, first half of the 20th century. The British Museum, London (Af1971.35.17)
Adire is the Yoruba term for resist-dyed cloth primarily created in the cities of Abeokuta, Ibadan, and Oshogbo in southwestern Nigeria. This work is a classic example of adire eleko, in which graphic designs are painted onto one side of the cloth with starch made from cassava flour before dyeing. The vocabulary of motifs juxtaposed in these dense compositions is passed down from mother to daughter. This work is identified with the genre known as Olokun, the name of the Yoruba goddess of the sea and prosperity. The designs featured range from geometric patterns to images of crocodiles, fish, chieftaincy leaves, birds, scorpions, plantains, matches, and spinning tops. Often, as here, the author placed her own mark or signature on the hem, underscoring the fact that no two interpretations are identical.
Yinka Shonibare, MBE (British, b. 1962), 100 Years, 2000. Emulsion, acrylic on Dutch wax printed cotton textile, painted wood; 98 in. x 27 ft. 11 in. (248.9 x 850.9 cm), each panel: 11 7/8 x 11 7/8 in. (30 x 30 cm). Collection of Ninah and Michael Lynne, New York.
This installation takes the form of a monumental sampler of one hundred panels of wax prints that the artist purchased in Brixton, South London, and which Vlisco manufactured in Helmond, Holland for "African" consumers. These are arranged in twenty vertical columns. Each swatch of cloth is stretched as a canvas, suggesting the highly circumscribed Western pictorial tradition. Over half of these are altered by painterly interventions that obliterate their designs. Not only does the artist make it intentionally difficult to distinguish between painted and unpainted panels, but the authorship of the textiles themselves is placed in question, given that their designs are originally derived from Indonesian textile sources. Furthermore, given the popular reception by African consumers of many of the textile prints highlighted, most have been reproduced and reissued in new editions throughout the past century. The visual intensity of this dense tableau of contrasting patterns and their underlying conceptual order challenges the idea of the grid in Modernism and invites association with the expansive scope, dynamism, and structure of woven West African textiles. At the same time, it heightens our awareness of the cosmopolitanism of the creative process and degree to which African aesthetics are inextricably intertwined with those of the world beyond.
Sokari Douglas Camp, CBE (British, b. 1958), Nigerian Woman Shopping, 1990. Steel; 70 7/8 x 26 x 32 5/8 in. (180 x 66 x 83 cm). Packman Lucus Collection, London.
This faceless woman's presence is defined by the spangled print of the cloth wrapped around her. She would be invisible were it not for its bold stars and crescents. Douglas Camp notes that the design deliberately evokes a popular Dutch wax print whose star-and-crescent-moon pattern, produced in bold yellow and blue, was recognized to be derived from Arab sources. The Dutch textile company Vlisco has produced a series of prints for its West African clientele that are variations on this motif. The figure is anchored by a large bag of the kind colloquially referred to as a "Ghana must go" bag for its identification with the expulsion of displaced Ghanaian residents from Nigeria in the 1970s. Manufactured of woven plastic, such bags are often used for transporting cloth.
Prestige Gown. Cotton, wool; 86 1/4 x 45 in. (219.1 x 114.3 cm). Cameroon, Grassfields region, 19th–20th century. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Purchase, Dr. and Mrs. Sidney Clyman Gift and Rogers Fund, 1987 (1987.163)
This ample flowing garment is composed of indigo-dyed cloth that has been embroidered with animal and abstract motifs using white cotton thread in chain stitches. The visual effect of the white on indigo and the style of the designs appear to have been adapted from Wukari indigo resist-dye textiles. Known throughout Cameroon's Grassfields region as ndop, these textiles are of great ritual importance and associated with royal power, elite status, and funerary rites. Historically, regional leaders have controlled their use, integrating them into their dress and distributing them to deserving subjects. Immense ndop cloths typically were unfurled as backdrops against which public ceremonial gatherings were enacted. In an allusion to that tradition, two of the major motifs on this gown are the leopard, an insignia of chiefly power, depicted on either sleeve and the abstract interlocking filaments that denote a hunting net emanating from the center section of the garment. In the region of the Bamenda plateau, it was also common to accentuate the neckline of such garments with embroidery.
Malick Sidibé; (Malian, b. 1936), Untitled [Woman Standing Before a Striped Background], 1979. Gelatin silver print; 5 1/2 x 3 1/2 in. (14 x 8.9 cm). The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Purchase, Nancy Lane Gift, 2003 (2003.160)
The formal tension that is the focus of these images is the layering of the striped cloth of the studio backdrop with those worn by the subjects. The design of the woman's wax print that unfolds in vertical columns the length of her skirt echoes and contrasts with the controlled structure of her environment. The fabric of the man's shirt is subdivided into rectangles that when silhouetted against these same stripes are reminiscent of the units of floating designs that West African weavers may introduce into their woven strips.
Malick Sidibé (Malian, b. 1936), Untitled [Man Standing Before a Striped Background], 1976. Gelatin silver print; 5 1/2 x 3 1/2 in. (14 x 8.9 cm). The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Purchase, Nancy Lane Gift, 2003 (2003.159)