Yoruba artist; Woman's Wrapper, c.1900; cotton and silk (alaari); 42 x 68 1/2 inches; Saint Louis Art Museum, Friends Fund 13:2023
Aso oke is intricately woven cloth made by expert Yoruba weavers in southwestern Nigeria. Aso oke is the focus of the Saint Louis Art Museum’s latest textile exhibition, Aso Oke: Prestige Cloth from Nigeria, which showcases examples of the cloth, including a mid-20th-century woman’s ensemble made from aso oke and a painting by Lagos-based studio artist Nengi Omuku, who paints on aso oke.
For a closer look into the history, importance, and techniques of aso oke, SLAM staff and members of the St. Louis community are featured in an audio guide for the exhibition, the first such guide at the Museum for a textile exhibition. The audio guide, which can be accessed through the Museum website or via QR codes in the exhibition space, is perfect for at-home learning or in-person exploration.
Beginning with an introduction from Nichole Bridges, the Morton D. May Curator of the Arts of Africa, Oceania, and the Americas, who curated Aso Oke, the guide takes the listener through five stops, each focusing on a different topic related to aso oke.
Yoruba artist; Man's Robe, early to mid-20th century; cotton; 50 x 96 inches; Saint Louis Art Museum, Gift of A. Patrick Irue and Amber Wamhoff, in memory of Dr. Leonard and Mrs. Lenora Gulbransen 180:2015
The first stop after the introduction is narrated by Benjamin Olayinka Akande, a long-standing SLAM board member. A native of Ogun State, Nigeria, he describes his experience with traditional Nigerian clothing, specifically aso oke agbada (man’s robe), from childhood and into adulthood.
“I remember my first experience with aso oke agbada was wearing it to a naming ceremony. Naming ceremonies are as important as the birth of the child itself,” Akande said in the audio guide. “Agbada is there to celebrate your birth; aso oke agbada is there to celebrate your passing. It is a cyclical experience that starts from birth until the very end.”
The second stop is narrated by artist Omuku. She describes her creative process, painting directly on aso oke instead of imported canvases, which she had been using, and the introspection that caused her to make the switch.
Upon being introduced to the sanyan type of aso oke, which is tan raw silk and cotton, Omuku said, “Immediately it was like a spiritual experience where I saw this textile, and I immediately understood that I didn’t want to make paintings about people wearing this textile, but I wanted to collaborate with it as the surface for the painting.”
In addition to sanyan, the other primary types of aso oke are alaari (vibrant purple silk) and etu (deep indigo-blue cotton).
Stop four is narrated by Bukky Gbadegesin, a professor of art history and African American studies at Saint Louis University, and her mother, Mrs. Felicia Adetoun Gbadegesin. Bukky describes a photograph of her mother wearing a women’s ensemble made from aso oke in the 1960s, giving listeners a glimpse of midcentury women’s fashion in Yoruba culture.
“The photograph was in black and white, so it was hard to get the full effect of her ensemble. Years later, when I finally saw the set in person, it was so gorgeous—three large-pieced cloths in a deep, dark red crisscrossed with carryover threads and double lines of shiny gold Lurex,” Bukky said.
The final stop is narrated by Shaka Myrick, SLAM’s 2021–2023 Romare Bearden Graduate Fellow, who assisted in curating Aso Oke. Myrick explains the two distinct techniques of weaving aso oke as well as the ways they are featured in the exhibition.
“There are two techniques distinctive to aso oke: carryover (njawu) and openwork (eleya). These designs are created by skillfully manipulating the weft and warp threads on the loom.”
For more, listen to the audio guide, which also features voices from our local Yoruba community variously pronouncing aso oke.
Aso Oke is located in the Carolyn C. and William A. McDonnell Gallery 100 on the Museum’s first floor. It is on view through March 10, 2024.
