The New Sacred Art Movement

Asked by Yorùbá priests to restore the shrines, Wenger sought out people who “had the òrìṣà within them waiting to be aroused”.
Most were manual labourers in Òṣogbo who became artists - each with his or her own unique artistic language to communicate with the gods.  

The creative process was both a collaboration and deeply personal.
Susanne Wenger  nurtured each artist’s creativity.
The result was a radical departure from traditional Yorùbá aesthetics while maintaining the attributes essential to the representation of each Yorùbá deity.

Adebisi Akanji was Susanne Wenger’s closest associate, artistic leader and co-creator of many of the sculptures and shrines in the groves.
Originally a bricklayer, he became a master sculptor in cement, painter and batik artist and the Oluwo Atáọ́ja, an Ògbóni High Priest.

“He creates these batiks with wildness and an explosive power,
which are typical for the òrìṣà (deity) whose incarnation he is.” 
Sangodare comes from a lineage of Ṣàngó (god of thunder) priests.
He was the leader and mentor of the New Sacred Art restoration team.

Buraimoh Gbadamosi was originally trained as a tailor and carpenter before he met Susanne Wenger.
His magnificent, characteristic stone and wood sculptures have curvaceous figures with bulging eyes, typical of his style.

Rabiu is from a family of gbẹ́nagbẹ́na, traditional carvers of shrine objects but was no longer practicing - due to the dominance of Christianity and Islam - until he met Susanne Wenger.
Encouraged to carve with his own mode of expression, Rabiu creates remarkable wooden totems.

A bricklayer by profession, Ojewale was one of the first members of the New Sacred Art Movement, recruited In 1958 by Susanne Wenger to work on Idi Ìdí Bàbá. Ojewale Amoo’s sculptures of the magnificent Egúngún Masquerades dominate the entry way to the groves.

Standing on top of the original Egúngún Wall, his most iconic creation.

Saka Aremu was a bricklayer but quickly demonstrated his exceptional talent as a sculptor. The statue of the goddess Ọ̀ṣun is his signature masterpiece and he is the original creator of the figures in the 'Market Place', Ọjà Oǹtótóo.

With one of his original 'larger than life' sculptures on Ọjà Oǹtótóo, the 'Market Place'.

Foyeke and Songo, two women, created  shrine paintings, traditionally a female domain in Yorùbá culture. This is a deeply symbolic artform, typical of the Yorùbá, which communicate messages to the gods. They used modern paint with traditional pigments added during rituals.

Ajibike was originally a blacksmith, who traditionally revere Ògún, the deity of Iron and War. 
He was drawn into making art in the 1960s and developed his talent creating decorative metal doors, window coverings, chairs and sculptures of deities.

Asiru Oladepo created unique works telling stories of Yorùbá cosmology, traditions and everyday life in Òṣogbo using a technique of beaten metal, either aluminium or copper.  Susanne Wenger introduced him to this medium and encouraged him to interpret Yorùbá culture  through his art.