African Textiles

“Movement Nr. 13”, 2004, by Owusu-Ankomah
Karen Rosenberg writes:
To the casual Western eye, “African art” equals “African sculpture” — masks, headdresses and ritual figures. As two new exhibitions make clear, this picture is laughably outdated.


A 19th-century man's robe from Liberia.
“The Essential Art of African Textiles: Design Without End,” at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, presents 19th-century fabrics alongside a few relevant contemporary artworks. Flipping the scales, “The Poetics of Cloth: African Textiles/Recent Art” at New York University’s Grey Art Gallery emphasizes the place of traditional textiles in works by contemporary African artists.


A 19th-century kente prestige cloth from Ghana.
The patterns of African textiles fall into three categories: woven, dyed, and printed or painted. In many woven fabrics, like kente cloth, narrow hand-loomed bands are joined together. Curiously, the designs of many dyed fabrics echo the structure imposed by the loom.


A print cotton textile from Akosombo Textiles Limited, 2007.
Any show of contemporary African textiles would be incomplete without some reference to commercial wax-print fabrics. The Grey’s selection illustrates the breadth of wax-print designs: some reproduce images of political and religious leaders, while others feature bold abstract motifs.


A print cotton textile from Akosombo Textiles Limited, 2007.
Any show of contemporary African textiles would be incomplete without some reference to commercial wax-print fabrics. The Grey’s selection illustrates the breadth of wax-print designs: some reproduce images of political and religious leaders, while others feature bold abstract motifs.



Link: http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2008/10/10/arts/1010-TEXT_11.html