In these two paintings, upon a backdrop of adire¹ Nike Davies-Okundaye has portrayed women in their finest attire, engaged in nonviolent protest. She sought to show that “women are very, very powerful… Sometimes they are more powerful than their husbands… Women are stronger than they think they are.”
I have to say that I love the artist’s first name, Nike, the Greek goddess of victory. In mythology, Nike and her three siblings, Kratos (power), Bia (force) and Zelus (zeal) all represents ideas of strength and action. I have the good fortune to be married to such a woman. After the 2016 election, Anne knitted herself a pink “pussy” hat and wore it while she protested in the streets. She is currently working on an “Im-Peach-Mint” cap. You can guess its color combo.
- Adire, a tie-dye textile is the indigo-dyed cloth made using a variety of resist-dyeing techniques. It is a textile art form that historically is used by the Yoruba women of southwestern Nigeria to communicate symbolically.