The Alájere Shrine
One of the earliest creations, Susanne Wenger pushed herself and the New Sacred Art artists to experiment with free personal forms.
Ilé Alájere
Perfectly restored by the team and lead artist Adebisi Akanji in 2008, the shrine is sculpted with 'thorny creepers, sacred to the gods for their psychodynamic qualities'.
A dwelling place for the gods
'This building is a dwelling place, which the gods - and occasionally his priests, humans and snakes, may take physically as an abode and dwelling place, finding furniture, such as a bed and cupboard sculpted artistically from clay ready for their use'.
Beside the Alájere Shrine is the start of a narrow, winding path leading up to Àwọ̀wọ̀, a cliff high above the river. It is lined with early cement sculptures of a different style by the New Sacred Art Movement’s founder, Susanne Wenger. These works have a playful and surrealist quality and were created in the early to mid 1960s.
Over the decades, these sculptures weathered, collapsed and were rebuilt a few times. There are now only three of them remaining on the path, skilfully restored by New Sacred Art Movement artist Adebisi Akanji and his son Adebisi Nurudeen.
The statue of Ọbàtálá along the Alájere Path
This very tall, slender statue of Ọbàtálá, the deity of creation, is one of several magnificent sculptures on the narrow Alájere Path, sometimes called the 'Path of the Dancing Gods'.
Ọbàtálá greeting Alájere
The sculpture was originally created in the early 1970s by Susanne Wenger. The arms of Ọbàtálá are extended in a gesture of both welcome and atonement to his inspirational son and deity, Alájere.
The statue was restored in 2016 by artist Adeyemi Oseni.
Alájere Path: Two Pythons crossing the pathAdunni Olorisha Trust / Adunni Osun Foundation
Two pythons crossing the path
‘The sculpture is composed of two pythons with intertwined tails, scissor-like guarding the path and are said to probe the purity of one’s intentions. (Symbolic reality is passive, so the truth of this statement is relative)’.
Alájere Path: Adeyemi Oseni with Restored Pythons Sculptures (1962/1964) by Susanne WengerOriginal Source: Adunni Olorisha Trust/ Osun Foundation
Again, a major restoration was needed in 2016 and carried out by artist Adeyemi Oseni.
Ọ̀ṣun River from where Alájere is dancing for OsunOriginal Source: Adunni Olorisha Trust/ Osun Foundation
The Ọ̀ṣun river from above
‘The height of the Àwọ̀wọ̀-precipice is flanked by two statues of Alájere which are as unlike in character as the different sides of his nature’. (Ulli Beier)
Alájere dancing for Ọ̀ṣunAdunni Olorisha Trust / Adunni Osun Foundation
Alájere dancing for Ọ̀ṣun
‘Here, on the brink, he dances lyrically for Ọ̀ṣun, who as the river, silently flows by far below’.
Alájere Jumping over the CliffAdunni Olorisha Trust / Adunni Osun Foundation
Alájere jumping over the cliff
‘Alájere is jumping over the cliff. This death-life, life-death motion represents the flow back and forth into the universe from where he comes and to where he goes impersonating the ambivalence of a sacred force as such.'
Alájere: jumping over the Cliff: Sculpture under Restoration by Susanne WengerOriginal Source: Adunni Olorisha Trust/ Osun Foundation
Restoring for future generations
This work of art was completely reconstructed in 2016 by New Sacred Art Movement artist Adebisi Akanji and his son Nurudeen. This time only cement with metal reinforcement was used and the sculptures will hopefully last a very long time.
PHOTOGRAPHY
AOT/F Collection
CyArk
Devesh Uba
Gerhard Merzeder
Helmuth Wienerroither
Wolfgang Denk
'Quotes' in the text are all by Susanne Wenger unless stated otherwise.
With special thanks to the Tolaram Group Plc., the Ford Foundation, Vita Construction, Femi Akinsanya and many individual donors.
Find out more about the AOT/F’s work by visiting our website www.aot-aof.org
Your donations will support our continuing efforts to maintain and restore the works of art in the Sacred Ọ̀ṣun Òṣogbo Groves. Thank you.
