Catalogue Note

Bearing the chieftaincy title, Adùnní Olórìṣà, Susan Wenger, was an artist characterised by her fierce thirst for knowing and expressing that which is divine and just. Immersed in Yoruba tradition upon arriving in Ede and Osogbo in 1950 and 1961 respectively, her spiritually inclined art practice as an Austrian became imbued with Yoruba mysticism, often depicting Yoruba orishas and categories of spirits such as the ‘Iwin’. These magical beings form the tapestry of Yoruba spiritual life, known by many to have shaped the spaces and lives around them.

The solo drum, played with one hand and a stick by a figure in a trance-like state, is said to represent Orisha Obatala’s special drum set, the ‘igbin’ drums, used in ceremonial rites. Her knowledge of Obatala, a revered father figure and orisha widely known for his compassion and leadership, was birthed through the sacred time she spent with the Yoruba religious figure and friend, Olorisha Ajagemo, from Ede. The print captures a primeval connection to nature, where aliveness and a deep reverence for the powers that move us is viscerally expressed through distinct cultural forms.

- Wami Aluko