On the occasion of the exhibition appears one Limited Edition Collection of 3 selected works by Susanne Wenger (25 pieces each, hight quality pigment print on classic watercolour board).

Price per Print: 350 Euro
Price for a Folder with all 3 Prints: 900 Euro
Order: presse@susannewengerfoundation.at

Susanne Wenger
Obatala Drumming, after a screen print from 1965
60 x 70 cm

Susanne Wenger was initiated into Orisha Obatala, who is known as the oldest and wisest one of the Yoruba gods. He formed the human beings out of clay and is often depicted as a father figure. With his sharp intellect he is very creative and moral. He belongs to the Orisha Funfun complex, the Orisha associated with the color white. His qualities as one of the “cool” Orisha, a peaceful deity of balanced character, is reflected in the colors of this print. The color blue is deeply rooted in the Yoruba culture as indigo dye and used as a ritual paint to balance energies. Obatala has a special drumset, called the “igbin” drums, which are housed in his temples or at the home of devotees. Susanne Wenger had one of these drumsets in her house at Ibokun Road in Osogbo. The large solo drum is beaten with one hand and one stick, as seen in the print. Susanne Wenger was initiated into Obatala by the famous olorisha Ajagemo from Ede and inherited his Orisha paraphernalia after his death. All her life she was talking about her special relationship with him and was deeply impressed by his deep knowledge.

Digital Fine Art Print, numbered (Edition of 25), printed with pigmented ink on Hahnemühle acid-free archival 310 gsm paper, with a certificate issued by the Susanne Wenger Foundation

Price: 350 Euro
Order: presse@susannewengerfoundation.at

Susanne Wenger
Iwin, after a linocut from 1960
60 x 70 cm

“Iwin” is a Yoruba word for a category of spirits, sometimes translated as “fairy tale”, but for some people or depending on the context it can be the same category like Orisha, the gods. One of Susanne Wenger’s local names, so-called “oriki” (praisename) was Iwinfunke. The name means “sent by the Iwin to be cherished”. Her old batiks from the 1950s and 1960s are signed with Iwin, Iwinfunke or Iwinfunmike. Bird motives have always been a central motive for the artist, already before she moved to Nigeria. In Yoruba culture they stand for the female spiritual power of the “iyami”, a word translated as “witches”, but not fitting into this European context. Many mythological Yoruba stories exist about the birds and their powers, like the hen, which plays a central role in the Yoruba creation myth. Throughout her life Susanne Wenger created many works with birds as central figures.

Digital Fine Art Print, numbered (Edition of 25), printed with pigmented ink on Hahnemühle acid-free archival 310 gsm paper, with a certificate issued by the Susanne Wenger Foundation

Price: 350 Euro
Order: presse@susannewengerfoundation.at

Susanne Wenger
Egungun, after a gouache from 1995
86 x 60 cm

A special society in the Yoruba culture is dedicated to the veneration of ancestors. From time to time these souls can come back into this world and visit their families and communities. On these occasions, masked dancers wear the Egungun clothes, which completely cover all parts of their bodies, and are mounted by the souls of the ancestors. In their dances, depending on the type of clothes they wear, long applied textile strips whirl through the air and the contours of the human body vanish in the rhythm of the drums. The translation for Egungun would be “masked dancer representing an ancestor”. The Egungun talk in a very high voice, which is associated with the screams of a special type of monkey. They are connected to the sacred bata drums and in their clothes also to the Orisha Shango and Oya. In the diaspora the Egungun ancestor worship plays a central role in the Orisha religion. This work is dedicated to the ancestors.
 

Edition: 25 pieces each
Price: 350 Euro
Order: presse@susannewengerfoundation.at

The high-quality prints have been produced in a collaboration with instant-edition.at