The Best African Art In 2014

Okayafrica looks back at the best African art in 2014, featuring work by Wangechi Mutu, Emeka Ogboh, Omar Victor Diop and more.

The Best African Art In 2014

Aso Oke: The Woven Beauty, Tunde Owolabi (Nigeria)

Aso Oke – The Woven Beauty, Photo by Tunde Owolabi

Originating from the Yoruba culture, Aso Oke [ah-SHAW-okay] is a handwoven textile that holds both cultural value and beauty. Traditionally worn for special occasions such as weddings or naming ceremonies, the fabric is a marker of Yoruba heritage that transcends its home country. For one week in November at the Red Door Gallery in Lagos, Nigerian visual artist Tunde Owolabi showcased the fabric at his second solo exhibition, Aso Oke - The Woven Beauty. Using Aso Oke as a tapestry of history and cultural heritage, Owolabi created narratives through paintings, photography, sound and film installations, photo-painting, and mixed media to preserve one of the few surviving forms of textile designs left in Nigeria.

>>>More Photos: ‘Aso Oke: The Woven Beauty,’ Tunde Owolabi’s New Exhibition In Lagos

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​Photo illustration by Kaushik Kalidindi, Okayplayer.
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