The delicate art of Adire making is a ‘women’s art’ mostly found among the Yoruba women of South Western Nigeria. These unique indigo cloth dyeing techniques are passed down through generations of women from mother to daughter, birthing large Adire textile-producing communities of women, one of which Mama Nike grew up in, where she learned these techniques from her grandmother.
Nike Davies-Okundaye, often referred to as “Nigeria’s Textile Queen,” is a renowned Nigerian artist, textile designer, and promoter of traditional Nigerian art and culture. She was born in 1951 in Osogbo, Nigeria. Nike is best known for her colorful and intricate textile artworks, which often incorporate traditional Yoruba designs and techniques.
She has worked tirelessly to preserve and promote traditional Nigerian textile techniques such as adire, batik, and indigo dyeing. Through her workshops and art centers, she has trained numerous artists and artisans, empowering them to continue the legacy of Nigerian textile art.
Now, with a career spanning five decades, no formal education and a passion to keep these techniques alive in modern-day African art, Mama Nike has written her name in stone, across countries, she has hosted over 100 exhibitions, given speeches at Ivy League schools, received numerous honorary awards, established four major art and textile galleries/art centres and has passed down her skills to over 3000 Nigerians especially disadvantaged women by empowering them to make a living from creating Adire and Aso-oke textiles through her workshops.
Here’s why we consider her a woman giant;
- In 1967, acclaimed American gallerist and African art collector, Alan Donovan came to Nigeria as an aid worker during the Biafran genocide, when he stumbled on Mama Nike’s art and instantly became a repeat customer. Fast forward to 1972, now living in Nairobi, Mr Alan organised a pan-African art festival in Nairobi together with the first Vice president of the country, Joseph Murunmbi, who was known to be a huge private art collector, and his wife. Of course, Mama Nike was invited, this marked her debut international exhibition in which she is said to have sent over 100 pieces of her work. This partnership went on for decades, giving her a good amount of exposure in Kenya.
- Following her passion to keep these traditional methods alive, in 1983 Mama Nike established the ‘Nike Centre for Art and Culture’ in Osogbo, the first of four art Centres that focused on passing down the skill of Adire making, weaving and painting to disadvantaged women, enabling them to make a living for themselves.
- Since 1983, she has gone on to establish three other centres in Lagos, Abuja and her hometown Ogidi. The Lagos centre is home to her monumental gallery, fondly known as “Nike Art Gallery”, the biggest Art Gallery in West Africa home to over 8000 pieces from artists across Nigeria.
- Mama Nike is also famous for aiding 5000 women sex workers in Italy through Adire production and other forms of art, which gained her acknowledgement by the United Nations.
- Over the past five decades, Mama Nike has had a tremendous timeline of art exhibitions, permanent gallery features, collections and honours that have placed her on a pedestal in the history of African Art.
Nike Davies-Okundaye’s life and work exemplify a deep commitment to preserving traditional arts and celebrating the cultural heritage of Nigeria.
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