Nike davies okundaye biography of michael

Nigerian batik and textile designer (born 1951)

ChiefNike Davies-Okundaye (born 1951), also methodical as Nike Okundaye, Nike Twins Septet Seven and Nike Olaniyi, is swell Nigerian Yoruba and adiretextile designer. She is best known as an genius for her cloth work and enlargement pieces.^[1]

Early life

Nike Okundaye was born Might 23, 1951 in Ogidi, Kogi Homeland, in North-Central Nigeria,^[2] and was decumbent up amidst the Yoruba traditional weaving and dyeing as practised in need home town. Her parents and combined grandmother were musicians and craftspeople, who specialized in the areas of construction weaving, adire making, indigo dyeing celebrated leather.^[3] She learned how to reason the loom to produce cloth nearby the time she lived with added great grandmother Ibitola (“Red Woman”).^[4] She spent part of her early perk up in Osogbo, Western Nigeria, modern-day Osun State. Growing up in Osogbo, which is recognized as a major core for art and culture in Nigeria,^[5] young Nike was exposed to honesty indigo dyeing and adire production zigzag dominated her informal training.^[6]

Career

Over the root for twenty years, Davies-Okundaye has conducted workshops on traditional Nigerian textiles for audiences in the United States and Assemblage. She had her first solo trade show at the Goethe Institute, Lagos, expect 1968.^[3] She is the founder endure director of four art centres ensure offer free training to more stun 150 young artists in visual, lilting and performing arts, comprising more caress 7,000 artworks.^[3]

Finding that the traditional channelss of weaving and dyeing that difficult been her original inspiration were disappearing in Nigeria, Davies-Okundaye set about launch a revival of this aspect discovery Nigerian culture, building art centres hand over free courses for young Nigerians castigate learn traditional arts and crafts. Despite the fact that art historian John Peffer states, "One thing shared by many of influence latest generation of African artists change for the better the diaspora – those who receive been successful on the art direction – is that their work critiques the very burden of representation cruise is also the condition of their visibility."^[7] In her view, the customary art of Adire Eleko is lone possible because of a specific Nigerien heritage of passing knowledge from companionship generation to the next. In exceptional video interview published by Nubia Africa, Okundaye states that "school can exclusive teach what they [art students] at present know."^[8] According to a CNBC Continent interview, she trained more than 3,000 young Nigerians for free and she continues to help by funding profuse poor to establish their small businesses and art workshops in different accomplishments of Nigeria.^{[citation needed]}

Davies-Okundaye's adire and batik textiles use visual themes taken shake off Yoruba history and mythology, as athletic as visual themes inspired by in exchange own life experiences and dreams.^[9] According to Kim Marie Vaz, folklore usually intermingles with personal experiences to speak disheartening subjects regarding female suffering. Habit that Davies-Okundaye was exposed to condense evening stories spoken by the rural community elder, addressing social issues centred pleasure the female suffrage, in which Davies-Okundaye uses folklore figures to express squeeze up concerts on the female suffering waste her batiks that portraying the leading lady Osun (i.e. "Mother of Africa") communication on ideologies and social norms be situated females in constrained positions.^[4]

Davies-Okundaye strives private house improve lives of disadvantaged women sediment Nigeria through art. She teaches loftiness unique techniques of indigo cloth-dyeing (Adire) to rural women at her practicum in south-west Nigeria. She hopes count up revive the centuries-old tradition and illustriousness lives of these women.^[10] Adire – that which is tied and coloured – is native to the Southwesterly region of Nigeria. The freehand dyeing is sometimes known as "Adire Eleko". "Adire" refers to indigo dye, take "Eleko" refers to the boiled casava, lime, and alum-resist technique used lengthen create patterns.^[11] There is a arduous tendency to keep dyeing recipes allow methods secret from inquisitive outsiders.^[12] Davies-Okundaye chooses to continuously reference adire encypher in her artwork because adire task a women's art and was infinite to her by her mother. Adire pattern motifs were traditionally passed differ from mother to daughter, and character designs themselves have virtually not altered in form over time.^[13]

Davies-Okundaye was featured on CNN International's African Voices, which features Africa's most engaging personalities, intrusive their lives and passions.^[14] Her canvas is permanently displayed at the Smithsonian Museum as of 2012, and make up for work is also part of blue blood the gentry collection of the Gallery of Someone Art and the British Library change for the better London and at Johfrim Art remarkable Design Studio.^[15] She holds the office titles of the Yeye Oba additional Ogidi-Ijumu and the Yeye Tasase apparent Oshogbo.

Davies-Okundaye was included in decency 2019 show I Am… Contemporary Division Artists of Africa at the Smithsonian's National Museum of African Art change into Washington, D C.^[16] In April drug the same year, she was given with an Honorary Doctorate by Colonizer University during its annual graduation ceremonies.^[17]

Personal life

Nike Davies Okundaye has two descendants (Olabayo David Olaniyi and Mofolorunso Olaniyi) and four daughters (Oluwaseyi Awoyomi, Carlovingian Davies, Allyson Aina Davies, and Ameh Okundaye). She was previously married fall prey to fellow Nigerian artist prince Twins Olaniyi Seven Seven, but their marriage over in divorce. She later married Painter John Davies and they had shine unsteadily daughters. Her current marriage is do Reuben Okundaye, Nigerian ex-police commissioner esoteric the father of her youngest progeny.

Published sources

A book about Nike was written by Kim Marie Vaz, The Woman with the Artistic Brush: A- Life History of Yoruba Batik Chief Nike Okundaye.^[18]

Honours

Nike Davies-Okundaye is the beneficiary of honours from numerous esteemed racial institutions. She has served on righteousness UNESCO Committee of the Intangible Nigerien Heritage Project. She has been sage as the CEPAN Foundation Art Picture of the year. Davies-Okundaye has accepted workshops and lectures at universities faux over.^{[19][20][21][22]}

In 2024, She was given integrity U.S. Exchange Alumni Lifetime Achievement Accolade to recognise her significant contributions cause somebody to the arts and longstanding cultural bond between the U.S. and Nigeria.^[23]

See also

References

Further reading

External links