Susanne Wenger: A Portrait

This is a portrait of visionary artist and priestess, Susanne Wenger taken in the late 1970s by Gert Chesi.
Susanne Wenger was already a successful international artist, who had lived in Vienna and Paris, before she become Àdùnní Olórìṣà, the European-born devotee of the goddess Ọ̀ṣun, who transformed the town of Òṣogbo forever.
Born in Austria, Wenger lived in Òṣogbo from the late 1950s until her death in 2009, having left her indelible mark in helping to catapult the town to world renown.
She had arrived in Ibadan in Nigeria with her then husband, Ulli Beier, in 1950. The couple later moved to Ede, then on to Ilobu, finally arriving in Òṣogbo. At Ede, Wenger met Ọbàtálá priest, Ajagẹmọ Láaró, who became her mentor and friend. She gained knowledge of Yorùbá religious traditions' complexities and spiritual dimensions.
Wenger was first initiated as a priestess of Ọbàtálá, the deity of creation, and later into the Ògbóni and Ṣànpọ̀nná Societies.
In Ilobu, Àdùnní Olórìṣà, as she became known among the Yorùbá, learned to make Àdìrẹ (tie-and-dye). In 1957, Wenger and Beier moved into the now iconic three-storey Brazilian style house on Ìbòkun Road in Òṣogbo.
The following year, a priest asked her to help restore the Ìdí Bàbá Shrine on the ourskirts of the town. This was the beginning of Wenger's remarkable journey into the creation of sacred art in what is now known as the Sacred Ọ̀ṣun Òṣogbo Groves - her most important artistic achievement and legacy.
She founded the New Sacred Art Movement, inspiring Yorùbá proteges to create enduring artworks reflecting their traditions.
In more than 50 years of continuous work, Susanne Wenger and the New Sacred Art Movement created the sacred shrines and monumental sculptures that have made the Groves world famous. She also played a vital role in getting the Sacred Ọ̀ṣun Òṣogbo Groves enlisted as UNESCO World Heritage Site.