Visitors to Lekki, in Lagos, often make a stop at a five-storey building packed from floor to ceiling with paintings, sculptures, beadwork and textiles. This is the Nike Art Gallery, one of the largest art galleries in West Africa. Its founder, Nike Davies-Okundaye, grew up in a village in Kogi State, learned weaving and dyeing from the women in her family and left school early. She became a renowned textile artist, a teacher of thousands and a champion of Nigerian art and craft.
Early life and adire
Nike was born in 1951 in Ogidi, in present-day Kogi State. She learned weaving, dyeing and embroidery from her grandmother and other relatives. She left home young and faced poverty before finding her way into the art world. She joined the artistic community in Osogbo, which had grown around the Osun grove and artists associated with the Osogbo school.
Adire is a Yoruba indigo-dyed cloth, with patterns created by tying, stitching or applying starch resist. Nike became one of its best-known practitioners. Her works include textiles, paintings and batik, often showing Yoruba stories, women and daily life.
Teaching and the art centres
Her work has been shown in Europe and the United States, and pieces are held in museum collections. She has trained many young people, especially women, in adire and other crafts, often free of charge. She founded centres in Osogbo, Abuja, Ogidi and Lagos to teach art and exhibit work. The Lekki gallery holds thousands of works by Nigerian artists, from established names to newcomers.
The gallery has become a popular stop for tourists, diplomats and art collectors. Nike often speaks about art as a way for women to earn income and gain independence.
Recognition and indigo
She has received honours in Nigeria and abroad for her work in art and education. Nike has helped keep adire alive and made Nigerian art accessible to many people. Traditional adire uses indigo dye, made from plants and fermented in pots. Cloth is dipped again and again to build up deep shades of blue, and the resist patterns appear when the starch or thread is removed.
Nike left school young and learned dyeing from the women in her village. The techniques she learned there now fill one of the biggest galleries in West Africa.
