Ayọ̀ Akínwándé

Ayọ̀ Akínwándé
Sacred Grove
March 2020, Nigeria
(video available on request)

This three-channel video delves into the Osun-Oshogbo Sacred Grove, a 75-hectares forests with over 40 shrines, and sacred waters. It is the spiritual oxygen of the earth. The piece is accompanied with incantations by an Ifá priest.

The Osun-Oshogbo Sacred Grove is a large cultural landscape of undisturbed forest near the city of Osogbo in Southwestern Nigeria. Dedicated to Osun, the Yoruba goddess of fertility, the area was established more than four centuries ago and is the largest of the sacred groves that have survived to the present. The Osun River meanders through the protected area, with sanctuaries and shrines erected along its course.

In the twentieth century, the development of the movement of New Sacred Art invigorated efforts to protect the grove, and modern sculptures now add to the spiritual significance of the site. This movement was led by Susanne Wenger (1915–2009), an artist and Yoruban priestess, and it transformed Osogbo into a hub of artistic activity, creating a new discourse on contemporary African art. In 2005, the Osun-Osogbo Sagred Grove was designated a World Heritage Site.

This work was made possible with funding from the F9 Contemporary Arts Foundation.