Ọbàtálá Shrine Complex: After Restoration

This photo is of master artist of the New Sacred Art Movement, Adebisi Akanji, standing in front of the Obatala Shrine (Orisa of Creation) beside two restored works of art. They are two of Susanne Wenger’s earliest works of art in the Groves.
At the time she was encouraging Adebisi Akanji and other artists of the Movement to create works of art reflecting their Yoruba traditions. She mentored them to experiment with cement and to create works that maintained the attributes of the deities sculpted in wood by traditional ritual woodcarvers but in a style which was there own.
The style has cubist elements which were also typical of the graphic design which she did in the late 1950’s for the Black Orpheus Magazine, founded by her husband, Professor Ulli Beier. The Black Orpheus was a groundbreaking Pan African literary and art magazine published by the University of Ibadan in Ogun State. It was the first African art periodical in English and considered to be one of the world’s most influencial (1957-1975).
As with all the Shrines and works of art in the Sacred Groves, these two works of art were created using cement, reinforced by iron rods and netting. To save money in the early 1960’s, mud was used in the core and then covered with cement. Over time the mud core weakened and the sculptures collapsed. These two works of art were completely reconstructed in 2016 by Adeyemi Oseni under the direction of Adebisi Akanji, shown in this photo, and Sangodare Ajala. This time only cement with metal reinforcement were used and the sculptures should last forever, requiring only periodic maintenance.