Adebisi Nurudeen: With Sculpture of Esu Riding the Lion

This photo is of a small and playful sculpture on the Alájere Path, known as the “Path of the Dancing Young Men”, which overlooks the Osun River. This sculpture is of the Esu riding on the back of a lion. The original sculpture was created in the early 1960s, by the New Sacred Art Movement founder, Susanne Wenger.
At the time, Wenger was mentoring Adebisi Akanji and other artists of the Movement to create works of art reflecting their Yoruba traditions. She created many small sculptures as a way to encourage them to experiment with cement and to create works of art. The New Sacred Art Movement ethos was to maintain the attributes of the deities as sculpted in wood by traditional ritual woodcarvers but to feel liberated to develop a style all their own.
Esu is a playful but powerful deity, who acts as an intermediary between mankind and the gods. He is often referred to as the Trickster. But his true character is much more complex and deals with fate and the divining of the future. Esu is often, mistakenly, referred to as Satan, due to the flaws in the translation of the Bible into Yoruba by Samuel Ajayi Crowther in 1843.
As with all the Shrines and works of art in the Sacred Groves, this artwork was created using cement, reinforced by iron rods and netting. To save money at the time, mud was used in the core and then covered with cement. The mud core weakened over time, however, and the sculptures collapsed. This work piece was completely reconstructed in 2016 by artist, Adebisi Nurudeen. Only cement with metal reinforcements were used on this occasion, and the sculpture should last forever, if properly maintained.
Adebisi Nurudeen is the son of Adebisi Akanji, with whom Susanne Wenger worked over many, many decades. Nurudeen is the new lead restoration artist in the Osun Grove. Under the direction of Sangodare Ajala, he has been responsible for mentoring the next generation of restoration artists.
Adebisi Nurudeen sculpts in cement in the Groves. He also is a master woodcarver, who, like all of the artists of the New Sacred Art Movement, brings a modern interpretation of traditional Yoruba artforms in his work. His sculptures in wood and in cement have been exhibited in Quintessence Gallery in Lagos and can be found in many private collections.