Romuald Hazoume

Miss Berlin 1999, mixed media

Romuald Hazoume Made in Porto-Novo at The October Gallery 24 Old Gloucester Street, Bloomsbury, London WC1 until 28 November.

Gerard Quenum

Gérard Quenum was born in the coastal town of Porto Novo, the official capital of the Republic of Benin, in 1971. Quenum’s work is composed of recycled objects whose diverse histories contribute much to the overall significance of the pieces themselves. But what gives his art its unique twist is his signature use of discarded dolls added to the mix of objets trouvés – that elevates the pieces into witty and whimsical ‘portraits’ of individuals or types observed in his local environment. These ‘portraits’ serve as a lens through which we see (or imagine we see) Africa itself. It is important to understand the pre-existent story with which these dolls – none of which are indigenous African dolls – are invested.

Gerard Quenum is showing work at The October Gallery, 24 Old Gloucester Street, London WC1 until 27 June.

El Anatsui

Society Woman’s Cloth 2004, 400 x 500cm, canettes en alluminium, capsules et fil de cuivre. Image and details of the work came from here.

Here is one of El Anatsui's beautiful art works - don't miss his current show in London - it is on until 12 May at the October Gallery, 24 Old Gloucester Street, London WC1. Founded in 1978, the October Gallery is an art gallery dedicated to the appreciation of art from all cultures around the world. Have a look at their website and past exhibitions - they show some great work.

El Anatsui is also showing work at the Fowler Museum, UCLA, Los Angeles, California until 26 August.

Selvedge

Cover photograph by Fedor Van der Valk

The latest issue of the textile magazine Selvedge is out. There is an article about the history of Dutch wax resist fabrics in this issue. There is also a piece about a remarkable artist called El Anatsui - you will not believe your eyes when you see his work which is made from recycled aluminium bottle tops - he has an exhibition on in London at the October Gallery near Holborn until 12 May.

Yinka Shonibare

Feather Pink 1997 acrylic paint on fabric, 25 12x12 inch panels, 98x98 inches. (c) Yinka Shonibare

Yinka Shonibare uses Dutch wax resist fabric in his work. I particularly like this series of panels incorporating fabrics and painting. I found the link to this piece at The Art Institute of Chicago

Material resource

The quilt is coming together nicely and everything is much brighter today (except the weather !). Thankyou again to everyone who left such lovely comments yesterday - this is the main reason to have a blog - to connect and share with people. We live in such a fragile environment in all senses, ecologically and emotionally and I am a 60s child (old hippy) at heart - love and peace and all that jazz - so I thought I would share one of the best fabric shops I know. I have been visiting Nasseri fabrics for the last 25 years - they started as a stall in Brixton market and then opened a shop round the corner at 38 Atlantic Lane. Most of their materials are Dutch wax resist fabrics produced for the West African market. And not only are they the most gorgeous designs and colours - they are really cheap ! They only sell them in 5 metre batches, starting at around £10 for 5 metres. And the selection is vast ! Most of the fabrics in the quilt I am making came from there.