Susanne Wenger: sculpting Ọbàtálá

On this archive photo Susanne Wenger is sculpting the figure of Ọbàtálá, the Yorùbá deity of creation.
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 Ọ̀ṣun goddess who transformed the town of Òṣogbo forever. Born in Austria, Wenger lived in Osogbo 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 Obatala priest, Ajagẹmọ, who became her mentor and friend. She gained knowledge of the complexities and spiritual dimensions of Yorùbá religious traditions; she was first initiated as a priestess of Ọbàtálá, the deity of creation, and later into the Ògbóni and Ṣànpọ̀nná Societies.